


Ragnulf and The Nogitsune

by lettersofwrittencollective



Series: The Pull [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Like really slow, Norse Mythology - Freeform, Rewrite, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 51
Words: 136,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25480390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lettersofwrittencollective/pseuds/lettersofwrittencollective
Summary: The Ragnulf’s are one of the oldest lines of werewolves known. A gift from ancient times was given to the line. Though not all of the line will experience it. There are some who will experience a Pull. This Pull leads them to their true mate, a soulmate. The problem is, just because the wolf finds their true mate does not mean that they are the same for that person.
Relationships: Scott McCall/Kira Yukimura, Stiles Stilinski/Malia Tate, Stiles Stilinski/Original Character(s), Stiles Stilinski/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Pull [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845796
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

The rain was pouring when you finally pulled up to the now run down Hale House. Kicking down the stand you got off your bike and pulled off your helmet. Looking at the structure you couldn’t help but wonder if coming here was a mistake. But, this was your family - regardless of whatever issues they had. **  
**

Walking up to the front door, you noticed the door swing open. “You know, you or your father could have called to say you’d be dropping by… We’ve been kind of - busy as of late.”

“Well maybe if you guys hadn’t revived the Nemeton, you wouldn’t have practically every supernatural creature on the west coast flooding into your home,” you chuckled as you closed the door behind you and took a look around, trying to find the owner of the voice. It takes a second but you find him sitting in what was once the sitting room that Talia would welcome people in.

“Peter.”

“Natasha - it’s been a long time since the Ragnulf’s have been in Beacon Hills. What brings you by? And without your father at that.” He asks as he moves to sit on the couch, his arms outstretched on the back of the seat as if he has no cares in the world.

You lean against the frame to the room, surprised by how sturdy it actually is for a moment. “Wolves are quite territorial, surely you know that,” you tease him lightly. “We’ve stayed away for the same reason the Hales stayed out of our lands - this isn’t our home. Thankfully, we’ve had no reason to leave.” You go silent, as though you are contemplating not answering his question but you know it’s better if you do. Still, you want to avoid it for a little bit longer. So, instead, you ask your cousin “Where’s Derek?”

“Here” your other cousin answers and you smile at him briefly, though the smile does not reach your eyes. He comes and pulls you into a hug before leaning back and staring at your face. No doubt, both of them can smell your distress.

Derek searched your face, a hand coming to cup your cheek and you looked away, turning your face into his hand. Closing your eyes you took a deep breath before finally saying the words “The Pull’s started..” your voice is so low the only way they’re able to hear you is their supernatural ability and your voice cracks. “This is the first place I’ve been to and there’s no pain.”

Peter leans forward on the couch, his forearms on his knees, a look of incredulousness on his face. He turns his face to you and then looks at Derek who has a look of shock on his face. Derek has stepped back and you’re standing there, tired.

“You sound terrified. You know - this isn’t a bad thing. Most people would kill to have this chance. Supernatural or normal -”

“Then they can have it!” you turn to yell at Peter. Seeing a piece of lumber that’s fallen on the table next to you, you grab it and throw it towards him. He, of course, catches it in mid air. Dropping it, he stands up and stalks towards you, Derek is now at your side and Peter is annoyed you’ve tried to hurt him.

Without realizing it, your eyes have flashed and a growl is escaping your lips. You’re not entire sure why, but Peter seems to have less control than normal as he’s begun growling at you as well. The moment is tense but Peter sees something that catches him off guard and is able to give him some sort of control. He stops growling at you and merely stands there, silent and slows his own breathing down. Your attention is focused on him but your control is lacking so you continue to grow at him. You’re eyes are bright and your claws extended as you fight the urge to lunge at him. Peter’s worked with a struggling pup before - he’s worked with you before.

“What are the three triads?”

You only growl at him.

“What are the three triads?!” he repeats more forcefully this time.

You remain silent.

It’s Derek that speaks first, “The heart, The mind…”

“The instinct,” you finish before you repeat it with Derek. “The Heart, the Mind, the Instinct… The Heart, the Mind, the Instinct…” You repeat this a few more times, slowly, with deep breaths littering the sentences. You’re eventually able to return to normal, claws retracted, canines shrunk, and eyes returned to their normal color. Your chest was heaving but slowly returned to normal.

“They’re blue…”

You cross the room and fall onto the couch. Both of the males are silent, waiting to hear more about why they’re blue. You run your hand through your hair, “And sometimes they’re purple…”

Derek and Peter look at each other before their eyes flick back to you. Derek is the first one to ask, “How?”

“No idea. Aaric thinks it’s because it’s presented so early. Dad thinks that it means there’s going to be something completely different about how this bond will play out. Personally - I’m hoping it means there’s a way to break it.

Of course, there’s no way to control the eye color. Blue shows up the most often so everyone assumes I’ve killed someone innocent.” You close your eyes and sigh leaning back onto the couch itself. You didn’t want this, you wanted to be able to choose. There’s things about these soulmates that people don’t understand and you can’t even begin to explain it.

“So the Pulls brought you here to Beacon Hills - how many other places have you tried?”

“Alaska, Canada, New York, Illinois, D.C., London, Singapore, Spain, Turkey …” You continue to list the places you’d traveled to in the last year. You didn’t stay anywhere very long so it wasn’t like you had a whole lot of stories to tell. “The pain was constantly there. After Dad heard about the Nemeton, he suggested coming here. He’s not happy you guys didn’t call about it but he gets it… The closer i got, the more dull the pain got. It’s still there.. Will be until the bonds cemented but it’s not unmanageable.”

“And it’s different from what the rest of the pack has experienced?”

“Yupp”

“Is that why you don’t want this?”

“Is it so wrong to want to be able to choose?”

“Wait a second.. Little Wolf, I thought your families little “curse” doesn’t manifest until after your 21st birthday?”

“Normally, but whatever it is that makes this different, means it’s starting now.”

Peter sits next to you while muttering under his breath. Something a lot like “Well isn’t this lovely.” Derek sits on the other side and you lean your head onto his shoulder. “Can I stay for a little while? I don’t know who it is, and the way this seems so different, I’m not sure that the same rules are going to apply. The only thing I know is that right now, Beacon Hills is the one place where I am not fighting agony.”

“You can stay in the loft, with me.” Derek answers and you nod your head against his shoulder. A small smile that he can’t see coming to the corners of your lips. You hadn’t expected them to actually accept.

It took a couple days but everything got set up. You were enrolled at Beacon Hills High School now. You’re father had called and made some story up that they accepted and Derek and Peter were now viewed as your legal guardians as far as the school was concerned. A part of you wants to go home. The pain no longer scares you, you’re a Ragnulf, you know that pain is part of life. Pain is part of the Pull itself. It’s unfortunately, the only pain you cannot share. The thing that scares you is what happened to your father’s sister, Clara. You’re not sure that you can bear that kind of luck. Only a few people know that it’s even possible. Few know about the Pull itself and even less know about what any of it entails. The Hale family only knows because your great-grandfather had been pulled to one of their great-aunts

You didn’t know but Derek had some idea. He had overheard Talia and your dad talking and had pieced together what it was. Like you, he had no idea who you were being pulled to but he did know that he was going to do what he could to ensure that you didn’t meet the same fate as Clara. So, he reached out to one of Scott’s pack members and told them a little bit about you. This person was going to be asked to be your friend. He was told that he could make his own choice, but he felt indebted to Derek to some degree, so he agreed to be your friend and to protect you.

A week before you’re actually supposed to start classes at the high school, Derek knocks on your door. “Tasha? Come downstairs, there’s someone want you to meet.” It doesn’t take you long before you’re downstairs.

“Who?”

“Someone who’s going to be a friend. Someone who’s going to help.”

You look at your cousin as if he’s lost some of his marbles but you figure that after the fire he’s entitled to his worries, so you just nod your head. There’s a knock at the door and Derek goes to slide them open. Standing there, is a boy that’s taller than Derek. He has curly brown hair that’s not too long and blue eyes that remind you of an ocean, there’s a boyish charm to him.

“Natasha, I want you to meet Isaac. Isaac, this is my cousin Natasha”

“Welcome to Beacon Hills.”

“Thanks,” you chuckle as you head over to the couch. The room is open so you’re not worried that he can’t see you.

“I’ll let the two of you get acquainted. Isaac, look after her.” Derek warns seriously. You figure that this is Derek being overprotective and you watch the boy, Isaac, visibly pale,

Chuckling, you cross to the couch and sink down onto it. Pulling your legs up, you tell Isaac “Don’t worry, I can take care of myself, how about you tell me about this school I’ll be going to?”

Isaac sits on the other end of the couch and the two of you spend the next couple of hours talking. It’s almost dawn by the end of it and you’re shocked- “How is this school even open? There’s so many different violations of just normal “how to treat kids” plus the amount of murders… not to mention the amount of money it’s got to have taken for repairs?”

“Yea, well.. Thankfully we’re still there. Probably because the only other schools in the area are private schools and so all the public funding goes into this school.”

“Well this will be fun. Ok, so ignoring the fact that there’s this weird school you’re a part of Scott McCalls pack… Scott is the only known TRUE Alpha that currently exists. He’s the captain of the lacrosse team and best friends with Stiles? Stiles is human but part of the pack What doe he do?”

“Well- he’s kind of like… the jack of all trades kind of thing. Guys a total spazz and talks too much for his own good but he’s always there for Scott so you can’t be too mad at him.”

“Ok… Stiles is a human addition to the pack that exists because of the friendship with Scott..” You’re not sure you actually understand the why and you’re questioning every aspect of it but you know that there’s more to it that you don’t understand and you’re not going to try to. “Then there’s Lydia who’s a Banshee. Congrats by the way, they’re super useful to have around. There’s you- who you seem to have a lot of things you don’t feel comfortable sharing. And then - there’s Alisson.. Argent? You mean the Argents that have been hunting down supernatural creatures for centuries? But she had a thing with Scott and she’s not taking over Gerard’s or her mother’s place.” Isaac gives you a look like he’s surprised you know about Gerard, he hadn’t mentioned it. Before he can open his mouth to ask though, you beat him “The supernatural community isn’t small but we keep track of the hunters best as we can. ‘Know thy enemy’ kind of thing. Anyways, that’s not important. So I’m confused, I get that Scott managed to dismantle the Alpha pack- but he left Deucalion alive? The only ones left are the twins.. Are they part of Scott’s pack?”

“God no.. I don’t trust them and neither does Scott.”

“Smart move.” 

You get up from the couch, stretching your arms and legs out after the stiffness that’s settled in. You look over to Isaac and you can’t help but wonder if the Pull is leading you to him. You’re sure that you’ll ask that of every supernatural creature you meet until you actually know but there’s no reason to be a creep about it.

Isaac follows your movements before he seems to recognize that it’s already dawn. “I- uh… I gotta get going.” he says. You nod your head and the two of you say your goodbyes. He goes to hug you and you step back, you may have spent hours talking but you don’t know him. He’s not pack or family. He seems surprised but quickly recovers before leaving.

So, Beacon Hills - the supernatural wonder in the area is your new home and while it’s falling apart. You’re being pulled here to meet someone.


	2. Chapter 2

Arms wrapped around you as you slowly came back to consciousness. Your throat hurts, it’s quite raw at this point and your heart is racing. Vaguely, you can tell that you’re covered in sweat and you’re freezing.

The arms around you tighten and you hear someone murmuring to you. The voice is trying very hard to be soothing and it takes you a moment to realize that it’s Isaac. Reaching up you grip on hand onto his bicep as he continues to try and soothe you. You’re not sure how long you’re there for but eventually your breathing evens out and and your heartbeat steadies. You’re as close to ok as you’re going to get at this point.

“Do you remember this one?”

“No… “ you sigh in frustration. It’s been like this for what feels like weeks now. You’d been having a hard time sleeping ever since the Pull started but the last couple weeks or so had been an absolute nightmare. You were suffering from night terrors and they get so bad that you had to literally scream yourself awake. The thing is, you could never remember what it was that was so terrifying about any of the dreams.

Both Peter and Derek knew about them and had tried to wake you up from some of the less severe ones. They had held you in much the same way that Isaac is holding you now. The only reason that he knows is because you’d almost killed him during one.

At this point, you would say it’s safe to say that you and Isaac are friends. After the night you stayed up talking, he came by more often and it seemed like he actually wanted to be around you. He had taken you to a couple different places and even introduced you to Allison. You quite liked her. Isaac had promised to take you to the Beacon Hills Preserve to show you some of the better running trails but had gotten side tracked with Allison. You were already tired from the lack of sleep the last few months and so you’d managed to fall asleep on the couch. The only reason you woke up was because Isaac was shouting your name when a whimper had left his through in agony - You had snapped his arm in half with one hand and were sinking your other hand into his abdomen.

Whatever it was that Derek told him or that Allison was going through, he didn’t leave in that second. Though you wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. When you came to, you had flown to the other side of the room. The silence was tense for a few minutes while his body repaired the damage you’d inflicted and he merely made a joke of it. You looked at him like he’d lost his mind. It took him playing the guilt card and the fact that you felt bad and were too tired to really argue with him for you tell him about the night terrors. Since then, he’s been coming over around 10 or 11 and sleeps in his old room. Usually, he’s the first one to reach you in the middle of the night. He says that Allison knows he’s here and because you enjoy the comfort you don’t question him.

You could never able to sleep after the terrors wake you and so the two of you would spend the remaining early morning hours just talking. At this point, he’s told you about Erica and Boyd and how he sometimes feels guilty that he had stayed and didn’t have to suffer at the hands of the Alpha pack the same way they had. He talks about Allison and when he does, his whole face lights up - she calms something within his wolf but he’s scared to pursue anything. Partially because he’s worried about her and everything she’s been going through. But - he, also, doesn’t want to hurt Scott. Scott who has taken him in when he had no one. Scott who he sees as a brother.

So you remind him that whatever choices Erica and Boyd made, were theirs to make and he can’t feel guilty about surviving or he’ll spend the rest of his life in mourning. His survival is a personal gift to you at the very least. You also encourage him to at least talk to Scott about how he feels. “If you don’t at least try Isaac, then you’re always going to wonder what if you had tried and that that will eventually drive you crazy. Wouldn’t it be better to try without having to hide it? The world is constantly changing, your friends should understand that well enough by now.” You’re sure you sound a bit like a broken record at this point which is why you’re happy when go one of these conversations he says he’ll be back to pick you up for school. He’s going to try and talk to Scott about Allison.

After he leaves, you take your time getting ready for the day. You shower, dry your hair, and put on something comfortable before going downstairs for breakfast. It may be a new school but you’ve had enough discomfort lately and you’re not going to waste time trying to impress new people.

When you get downstairs, you’re surprised to find Peter instead of Derek. You’re even more surprised that Peter is making eggs, French toast, and another pot of coffee. He turns to you, “You nervous Little Wolf?” he asks sincerely.

“Of what part? Going to a school that’s seen more murders than should be normal for any small town? Or running into my supernatural mate who may or may not be an idiot?”

“Both good points, but I was talking about starting at a new school in the middle of your junior year. God knows you teenagers deal with enough as it is and your crap is not much better.”

You can’t help but laugh. Peter is trying so hard for you to have something “normal.”

“Well- yes…There is that… “

“You’ll do fine Little Wolf. Just remember, your father expects good grades. You’re still expected to get into a good college.”

You’re going to respond but you get a text from Isaac. He’s downstairs and ready to go when you are. “We’ll figure something out - besides even if i flunked.. You could buy my way into any school,” you tell your cousin as you kiss his cheek and grab the thermos he had prepped for you before meeting up with Isaac outside.

When you get to the school, Isaac shows you around. You don’t see Allison and he says that she’ll be getting there a little later. It seems that you and Isaac have all your classes together except the last two. He spends the day with you and when lunch comes around, he invites you to join the pack. You tell him to have fun but that you’re not ready to meet the rest of them yet. Surprisingly, he and Allison join you instead. She tells you and Isaac that the issues are getting worse for everyone. You feel bad for her but haven’t been able to get a hold of either of your parents to ask them if they had ever heard of anything like this. Allison changes the subject by asking you about how you’ve enjoyed your first day. You let her change it because you have no way of helping. After lunch, you and Isaac have English before you split up. He leaves you at the Spanish class then comes back to walk you to the World History Class.

You sit on the far right of the classroom, as close to the windows as you can possibly get and you watch as the class slowly fills up. There’s a couple different supernatural auras in the building and you’re curious to figure out who is and who isn’t but you’re still young and haven’t been able to figure out exactly how to do it without scent and there’s too many teenage boys here for you to want to focus on scents. As you watch the students enter, though, you notice two boys in specific. Both are brunette but one has darker hair than the other. The one with the darker hair also has a confidence to him that most of the other students don’t have. It takes you a second to place it but when you do, you know exactly who that is. It’s the Alpha, Scott McCall. Which means, the boy with the lighter brown hair and moles along his jawline must be Stiles. At least, you think that’s who they are.

The bell rings and your attention is pulled to the front of the classroom. The teacher turns around and introduces himself as Mr. Yukimura and is apparently the replacement for the last history teacher, the Darach. He then proceeds to introduce/ embarrass another student, his daughter, Kira. You’re thankful that he seems to not know that you’re also new and class continues.

Once class is dismissed, you head outside towards your locker. When you get it open, you are getting books that you’ll need tonight for homework and leaving your history book as there hadn’t been any assigned homework. You see Kira talking to her dad out of the corner of your eye so you tuck back a strand of hair and begin to try and focus in on their conversation. You figure, if she’s also new that you might be easier.

It’s as you’re trying to focus in on the conversation that you catch a very interesting phrase. “…we hit the reset button on a supernatural beacon for supernatural creatures. There’s a pretty good chance that things are never going back to normal.” As soon as you heard supernatural beacon, your head whipped around, trying to find the owner of the voice but there were too many people in the hallway and the person was done talking. You did however notice the boy you thought was Scott looking towards Kira before suddenly the boy next to him says something about his eyes and they’re moving away.

You quickly shove things into your locker and follow after them. Kira is completely forgotten about in that moment. It takes you a moment to actually find them but you see a classroom door shutting rather quickly. You slowly inch closer but remain standing outside. You had meant it when you said you didn’t want to meet the Alpha just yet and were going to avoid it if you could.

Scott was yelling at the other boy, Stiles?, to get away. You could tell from just his voice that he was lacking control and possibly about to shift. So, you partially shifted when suddenly you heard a pained grunt. Quickly, entering the room, you wonder if you should try and call Isaac for back up here. Scott may be an Alpha but the lack of control would give you an upper hand. When you opened the door, however, you saw Scott digging his claws into his palms, a growl escaping his lips. He fell to his knees and the other boy knelt down in front of him. You hear Scott say “Pain makes you human” and you fight the urge to scoff. Pain only means you’re alive - not that you’re human.

“Scott this isn’t just in our heads. This is real - and it’s starting to get worse for me too.”

Neither boy has noticed you at this point and this seems like a private moment so you begin to turn the handle to the door, hoping to sneak out quietly and slowly. Instead, you hear the second boy, the one you’re pretty convinced is Stiles continue his earlier statement, 

“I’m not just having nightmares. I’m having these dreams where I literally have to scream myself awake.”

Those words make you freeze. Your breath catches in your chest and your mind blanks for a moment.

You know exactly what that feels like. You focus back on Stiles as you hear him say “I can’t read a thing.”

Before you can think better of it, before you can stop yourself, a whispered name leaves your lips, “Stiles?”


	3. Chapter 3

Scott was getting worse. Allison was getting worse. Hell he didn’t even know if he was actually awake or if he was dreaming this whole scenario in front of him. The blackboard looked like a bunch of gibberish to him and the few characters he did recognize made no sense in their placement.

“Stiles?” he hears someone call his name. It’s a voice he doesn’t recognize but is somehow soothing. Whipping around, he sees a girl he knows he’s never seen before. She’s got claws out though and her canines are elongated. She’s a werewolf too. One he doesn’t know, which means he’s instantly suspicious of her. He hears Scott pop up behind him and he steps in between the two. Scott may not be able to defend himself and at least Stiles can fight. He’s about to ask who the new girl is but her eyes have flickered to Scott and she’s saying his name with a furrow on her brow.

“We don’t know you,” his voice is harsh and accusatory. “How do you know us? Who are you? Why are you here?” he demands from the girl. There’s a flicker of annoyance that passes her face and a menacing growl is escaping her lips. He takes an involuntary step backwards.

You’re irritated. Regardless of what they’re going through, Isaac made it seem as though you would get some common courtesy from them when you meet them. A part of you wants to tear Stiles limb from limb in that moment but you know it’s a bad idea. So, instead, you take a deep breath and retract your claws, allowing your fangs to recede. “Would it kill you to try and be nice?”

“Yea, maybe.”

“Well that would be a first. Isn’t the saying to kill someone with kindness?”

“Yea, I’ll get right on that. Now, who the hell are you you?”

You move to sit on a one of the desks. Shaking your head at the way your first meeting with the territories Alpha is going. You will not, however, be cowed. “My names Natasha. I don’t actually know you -”

“Obviously”

“-but I’ve heard a lot about you from a friend. I’m here because…” you struggle for a moment. You haven’t even told Isaac. The only people who know are Derek and Peter. You can’t lie because Scott will smell it on you. So, you decide to go with a vague truth. “Well.. i need to be here.”

“Isaac hasn’t mentioned you,” Scott says, his voice is low and gravely, just barely above a growl. It sounds like he’s trying to control himself. You decide that if you’re going to get out of this without a fight, you’ll have to allow him to be in control. Scott’s an alpha who’s just learned there is another wolf, who he had no idea about and he’s probably decided that you’re a likely threat. So, you do something you never thought you would do for anyone outside of your pack, and possibly your mate, you bare your throat in submissiveness.

Stiles is watching Scott out of the corner of his eye. He was only slightly worried that Scott was going to attack the new girl. He wasn’t sure how they would get away with explaining yet another destroyed classroom. There were quite a few things about the girl that didn’t sit right with him.

He was sure that she was here to cause more issues, so when she lifted her neck bared her throat he was surprised. Didn’t wolves only bear their throats to their leaders? Wasn’t it supposed to be some kind of submission thing? What was she playing at?

“I asked him not to say anything. Though I’m willing to bet Derek asked him the same thing first.” The girl, Natasha, responded and Stiles became even more confused.

“Wait - how do you know Derek?”

“Derek Hale? I’m his cousin…”

“But, i thought Peter didn’t have kids?” Scott’s statement comes across as more of a question and Stiles agrees. The girl however, is shaking her head.

“None that I know.” Stiles doesn’t miss the wording and thinks it’s actually quite odd. He’s about to ask but she continues. “But no, Peter’s also my cousin. Their grandmothers sister was my moms, mom. My grandma. I think technically Peters my Second Cousin and Derek’s Once removed or something like that. It’s honestly just easier to call them cousins.”

Yea, no Stiles doesn’t buy it. He turns to look at Scott but Scott’s looking at the girl and Stiles has to fight the urge to groan. Scott looks like he’s going to take your word for it.

On the other side of the room, you’re watching Scott and Stiles from your perched position. It looks like neither one of them believes you so you do the first thing you can think of. “I can call Isaac” you point out. There’s a tense moment, well tenser, before Scott nods his head. Pulling your phone out, you dial Isaac.

He doesn’t answer so you try him again. Again he doesn’t answer and so you offer to call Derek. Scott agrees but Derek doesn’t answer either - because that’s exactly how your first meeting with the Alpha is going to play out. You have to work to keep calm and a thought occurs to you. From what Isaac’s told you, it is going to be a long shot but you have to at least try. “I can try Peter?” you offer with a slightly doubtful voice.

Stiles and Scott share a look and, to your surprise, Scott agrees, although reluctantly.

You dial Peter’s number and the line rings and rings, just when you think that it’s going to cut to voicemail there’s a response on the other line.

“Little Wolf? Everything ok?” He sounds genuinely worried and you feel bad for causing that worry.

“Yeah, yeah everything’s fine cousin. I just, I met some people and well… i kind of surprised them. They don’t seem to happy to have me here.”

It only takes a beat for Peter to figure it out. When he speaks again, his voice is slightly hard, “Ah, Scott… Stiles… Not that you care about my feelings but if you could find it in your tiny teenage hearts to be nice to Natasha, I would be grateful. I’m sure Derek would appreciate it as well.”

“Why is she here?” Stiles demands and you’re starting to get annoyed with him. You’d already told him why you were here, sort of.

“Dude she’s right here”

“Yeah and she could be lying.”

You fight the urge to snort before Peter responds. This time, his voice is soft and the worry that was there earlier is underlying it. “Look- she’s had a rough time of it the last few months. She feels like she needs to be here, so she came to stay with me and Derek. You can ask him yourself if you’d like”

“Derek’s not answering.”

“Hmm, that’s odd… “ Peter seems to be thinking about things but quickly recovers, addressing you instead. “Little Wolf, don’t stay out too late.

Scott- make sure Stiles plays nice.”

The line goes silent and you’re sure that Peters made things worse than they were on your own. At the very least, they’re going to be more wary of you. Putting your phone back in your pocket, you look at both boys. Neither one of them having sat down with you.

‘Why’d you follow us?

“I overheard Stiles’ comment about the ‘supernatural beacon” something about resetting it and then saw him rushing you in here with your head ducked under his arms. You were vibrating with rage and so I got closer, worried you were going to lose control.. I was standing at the door and heard you growling, figured I could at least distract you long enough for Stiles to get away.”

Both boys looked at you like you’d lost your mind you don’t blame them. But, everyone has their codes they live by and you’re no different.

“Why?” Scott asked at the same time that Stiles said “But he’s an Alpha.”

“Look Isaac made it seem like Stiles is part of your pack. No one wants to lose a pack member let alone be the one to destroy their pack.” Stiles’s scoff goes unnoticed. “Scott, you might be an Alpha but you’re still relatively new to this lifestyle, right?”

It takes the boy a moment but he reluctantly nods. You continue with your earlier point, “I figured if you were losing control you were closer to feral. Your wolf would notice a new wolf and see it as a threat to your home, like it did earlier, and you’d try to attack me instead.”

“If that’s true - you would have been willing to die for Stiles.”

You shake your head, “You would have had to have caught me first and I’ve yet to meet a wolf fast enough.”

Stiles is listening to Natasha but, he doesn’t believe you. “Then why didn’t you run earlier?” he asks, sure that she’s hiding something from them. She raises her eyebrow and cocks her head to the right, it’s a very canine like gesture that catches him off guard for a moment. A look of confusion passes over the girls face and she asks, “why would i? He wasn’t attacking anyone and I wasn’t trying to kickstart his hunting instincts. He was just on edge. Had i ran, he would have likely chased me till he tired which would solve nothing. I simply showed my submission and the wolf recognized i mean no harm.”

Stiles is about to argue with the girl and Scott but his phone goes off. Looking down at the caller ID, he realizes that he had forgotten to pick up the bouquet for his mothers and grave and looks at Scott. “Dude… the flowers…”

Scott nods his head and Stiles runs out of the room. He doesn’t know what to think about this new girl, Natasha but he is determined to find something out.

Meanwhile, you were left behind with Scott. Both of you still in the classroom. Scott doesn’t look like he’s sold on you but he also doesn’t look like he’s got the energy to fight with you.

“Look, I gotta go to but I’m gonna ask Isaac about you. You’d better not be lying.” Scott tries to threaten you and you simply nod. He leaves the classroom almost as quickly as Stiles did and you’re left alone.

Jumping off the table, you take a deep breath and are about to leave when you notice a bandanna in the same area that Scott and Stiles had been. Figuring it belongs to one of them, you pick it up. Going back to your locker you throw on your bike jacket and stuff the bandanna in your pocket before pulling your phone out and shooting a text to Isaac, letting him know you’d inadvertently met Scott and Stiles today.

You hop on your bike and make your way downtown to the loft. On your way, you find that you’re having a hard time focusing and decide that you’ll go to bed as soon as you get to the loft.

When you get to the loft, you see that it’s empty. Making your way towards the stairs, there’s a piece of paper, a pretty blue, on the coffee table that catches your attention. You pick it up and read it on your way to your room it’s a note from Peter. Apparently, he hadn’t been able to get a hold of Derek either so he was going to look for him. You’re not sure why your cousin couldn’t just text you but you’re too tired to question it.

After getting ready for bed, you check your phone to ensure your alarms are set for the morning. You won’t need them, what with the nightmares waking you up, but it’s good to pretend there’s a routine. While you’re setting the last of the alarms, you get a text from Isaac. He’s apologizing for not answering the phone earlier, says that apparently, Allison had shot an arrow at Lydia’s head. He had made sure that she was ok and was going to talk to Scott about it. You’re not even sure what to make of that situation. You reply and tell him to be careful, not sure what else you really can say. A part of you knows you should tell him to go be with Allison tonight but with Peter and Derek gone, you would be alone if Isaac didn’t swing by and you weren’t sure that you wanted to face the night alone.


	4. Chapter 4

“This house does not have a supernatural ability to heal!” Isaac heard Melissa yelling up the stairs when the picture frame fell on top of him. “So, stop it!”

Picking himself up off the floor, he tired not to grunt and merely nodded in the direction of Scotts room before making his way to his room. There was no point in pushing Scott or the situation further.

Once he got to his room, he pulled out his phone to check the time, it’s only 9:15. He needs to go check on Allison, make sure that she’s actually okay, and then go to the loft for Natasha. But, he thinks, Derek and Peter are at the loft if anything happens. Maybe, he’ll just stay with Allison tonight, even though she put up a good show he can tell that she’s pretty shaken after almost skewering her best friend.

Whatever he’s going to do, he still has time to decide. After all, he has to wait till Scott goes to bed before he can leave. So, grabbing his English reading, he falls on his bed and tries to get something done though his mind keeps wandering. The idea of not going to the loft makes him feel guilty. Sure Peter and Derek could help but he was usually the one to get to her first. Both of the men cared for her but he was the one that soothed her while she came back to herself.

When Derek had asked him to keep an eye on Natash, he figured that he would have to be on guard. He was sure that that she was going to be typical Hale: cold, rude, difficult. Turns out, she wasn’t exactly typically Hale and the girl had begun to grow on him. She was kind of cold, but only that first night. They had talked for hours upon hours and somewhere along in that conversation she made a judgment about him. After that, she started to open up a bit more. The girl was naturally curious and smart. She wasn’t as smart as Lydia but the Banshee was a damn genius so that was no surprise. But still, her mind seemed to work a mile a minute to put together different pieces of the story and she had figured out quite a bit of it before he had told her. There were some things she got wrong and so he’d corrected her and she seemed to at least go with it.

Allison had taken to the girl pretty quickly and vice versa. It probably helped that Natasha seemed to be fiercely loyal to her cousins and from the way she talked about them, her family as well. Allison seemed to appreciate that about her and she had even offered to stay at the loft as well. But, with her Kate visions, it had been decided that Allison would stay at the penthouse with her dad. She wasn’t overly excited about him staying with Natasha and at first, it was kind of rough between the two of them but as she got to know the other girl, Allison became okay with it.

Getting lost in his thoughts, he was startled by a knocking on his door. Before he’d even had a chance to respond, the door opened and Scott stood in the doorframe, looking somewhat unsure of himself. “Hey.. umm.. Have you met anyone new lately?”

At first, Isaac was going to play dumb but then he remembered the text that Natasha sent him so he nodded slowly. “Yeah.. but look Scott, I wasn’t trying to hide her from you… It’s just that she asked me not to say anything and well -”

“That’s fine.. I think..” Scott cut him off, “But what do you know about her?”

Isaac opened his mouth then immediately closed it. This was something he had to think about for a moment, He leaned forward to sit on his bed, feet on the floor as he contemplated how to answer that question. Derek had said something about her having a supernatural pull towards Beacon but she hadn’t said a single word about it yet.

“She’s good. A bit closed off at first but once she warms up to you she’s actually really warm and it’s surprising what she’s capable of.”

“Is she actually related to Derek and Peter?”

“Yea, which is kind of crazy cause she’s not what you’d expect from the family. I mean, i know the only girl we know from them is Cora but she’s just… not that.”

“She say why she’s here?”

Naively, he had been hoping that Scott wouldn’t ask but it was a stupid hope he knew. “The only thing she’s said is that she needed a change after the last couple months.”

“From what?”

“She hasn’t said…” he trailed off, unsure if he should keep going but Derek had asked him to protect her and, truthfully, he wanted to protect her.. Scott could help keep her safe. Scott had already left the room and was in the hallway when Isaac groaned in defeat. Scott turned around, looking at Isaac expectantly. “Look she hasn’t said anything more than that but Derek.. Well Derek’s said some stuff and I don’t really understand it all. So don’t ask ”

Scott stepped back into the room and closed the door behind him. Isaac stood and began to pace back and forth between his bed and the wall, “According to Derek she’s being pulled here -”

“Because of Jennifer and the sacrifices,” Scott interrupts. His voice has a tilt of understanding and Isaac has to stop himself from snapping at the man. He would have thought the exact same thing.

“No,” he says a little more forcefully than he means to and at the look of confusion Scott’s face, Isaac continues, “Derek said she’s been being pulled here for months now. According to Derek she’s different somehow, something about a family thing. Though he won’t say what. But apparently, she’d been in some kind of awful pain and as she got closer, the better it got.

When she first got here, Derek said there was so much pain radiating off her he could literally taste it. It was enough to scare him.” Isaac paused for a moment to let that sink in. He hadn’t understood it when Derek first explained it but once the former Alpha had explained that it smelled like she was on the verge of death, he understood. When Scott didn’t seem to really get it, he told him exactly what Derek had said and that seemed to surprise Scott. “Yeah… It seems that when they got her to Derek’s loft she didn’t even make it to the rooms. She passed out on the couch for like 3 days. Peter said she kept tossing and turning like she couldn’t rest and was whimpering like she was still in pain. The scent itself never really went away but it did smell less like death.”

Scott sat down on the edge of the bed and looked over to Isaac. “But it’s better now, right?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. She never mentions being in pain when we talk and I haven’t really noticed anything. I can’t even tell if the smell of pain on her is actually there. I’ve only ever known her with it. So, who’s to say it’s not just a natural part of her sent?” His voice has dropped by the end, the quiver loud and clear for Scott to hear.

Feeling a weight on his shoulder, Isaac knew that Scott’s hand was there now. “ You know, that’s not even the bad part. Not really.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.. According to Derek, she’s being pulled here by someone. Apparently, if she doesn’t meet this person, things can get really ugly for her.”

“Ugly how?”

“He didn’t actually say but… Scott… the way that he said it- I don’t think we want to find out.”

The following morning, it’s the loud blaring of your alarm that wakes you. It takes a moment to figure out where it’s coming from or what it even is but as soon as you do, you’re also hit by the realization that you slept through the entire night. You feel rested for the first time in a couple months and you can’t help the little hop in your step as you go about your morning routine, making sure you put the coffee to brew.

When it’s time to leave you remember to grab the bandana and put it in the main compartment of your backpack before heading to the school. Meeting up with Isaac and Allison you ask how she’s holding up. She’s still a bit shaken but more than anything she just wants to find a way to fix it. She doesn’t wanna hurt anyone. You don’t miss the way her eyes flick to Isaac and you’re sure he doesn’t miss it either but no one actually comments on it.

“But, what about you. You seem to be better this morning” Allison comments, an actual smile on the corner of her lips and you can’t help the smile that stretches across your face.

“I finally got a full night’s sleep” you whisper to her like it’s a scandalous secret of some sort.

“That’s amazing Tasha! Did you do anything different?” the brunette asks you and you simply shake your head. You had no intention of questioning your good luck in this moment.

“I’ll see you guys later though, alright?”

You went to Econ and Math and were able to actually able to pay attention in class. You’re still not sure you understand what’s going on in Math but that’s always been an issue for you, so it’s nothing to worry about. As far as you’re concerned the morning had gone great. You and Isaac spent your free period in the library, trying to study and it’s at that point that Isaac told you Scott had asked about you last night. You had been hesitant to ask but you also needed to know, “Do I need to be careful around him?”

“Nah, i think think things are fine” He’d replied with a soft confidence that made you sure things would actually be ok.

You’d been working on a particularly difficult algorithm when suddenly you couldn’t breathe. It had felt like something was constricting across your chest while a rope was wrapped around your throat being pulled taut. A whine escapes your lips as your hands claw at the invisible rope. When you felt like your head was going to explode you, suddenly, found yourself choking and taking gasping breaths of air. You don’t realize it but your eyes have flashed and Isaac noticed. 

“Natasha..” Isaac calls and you turn to him. His hand is on your shoulder and there’s concern in his blue eyes and you know that he’s curious as to what’s going on but the thing is that you’re not even sure yourself. Sure, there’s a suspicion but nothing concrete.

Shaking your head, you force a smile on your lips, “It’s nothing to worry about Isaac.. I promise”

“That’s a load of crap and we both know it.”

“Isaac..” you begin, not sure what you’re going to say or how you’d even begin to explain things. Thankfully, you’re saved by the bell signaling the end of the period. Grabbing your stuff, you shake your head at him. He doesn’t look happy but he slowly nods and you wait for him to gather his own things. You already know that the conversation isn’t over but - for now- you’re able to get away from it.

During lunch, you find yourself sitting with the McCall Pack, Isaacs friends. No one really seemed surprised you were there. Though, Stiles had given you looks when you sat down that made you sure he didn’t like the idea of trusting you and the redhead, Lydia, doesn’t seem too happy that you’re there either. But since Scott greets you and Allison welcomes you it doesn’t seem that either one of them are going to fight your place at the table.

Allison begins to talk about seeing her aunt when Scott just gives her warning look and then motions his head towards you.

“Oh.. she knows..” She says slowly.

Scott looks surprised but nods his head.

“Okay… So what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it seeing things?’

“And is unable to tell what’s real or not?”

“And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?”

Apparently Isaac hadn’t exaggerated Stiles’ and Scott’s reactions to the sacrifice. You’re trying to figure out if you’d ever heard of anything like this before.

You almost don’t hear Isaac respond, “They’re all locked up because they’re insane.”

You look at your friend and kick him under the table, that was completely rude and uncalled for, when you hear Stiles sarcastically respond, “Ha. Can you at least try to be helpful, please?”

Isaac doesn’t acknowledge your kick and leans forward on the table, “For half my childhood, I was locked in a freezer. So, being helpful is kind of a new thing for me.”’

“Wait, what??!” You snap in horror but Isaac ignores you and continues to bicker with Stiles.

You stand to go and try pull Isaac away from the table and get some answers about a freezer childhood when you hear someone clearing their throat and then ‘Hi- Sorry - I couldn’t help overhearing what you guys were talking abou. And I think I actually might know what youre talking about.”

The entire group fell silent and she takes that as her que to keep talking. “There’s a Tibetan word for it. It’s called ‘Bardo.’”

“Wait, isn’t that associated with Buddhism?” you asked the girl. A part of you felt bad that you had forgotten about her yesterday but hopefully you could fix that later.

Kira offered you a smile and nodded, “It literally means ‘in-between state.’ The state between life and death.”

Lydia’s not having it and you don’t blame her. Even if there is some sort of term for it, doesn’t mean that it’s actually something that is real in the supernatural world. Lydia coldly asks Kira who she is and just as you’re going to answer, Scott beats you “Kira.” His friends all looked confused so you jump in “She’s in our history class.”

“So are we talking Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?” Lydia challenges and you’re torn between appreciating her apparent loyalty and disliking her for her coldness.

Kira, on the other hand, chooses to ignore the hostility and sits on the bench, forcing Scott and Stiles to both move down the bench. You’re grateful you had already stood as neither one looked to see you were still there. Kira continues though, unfazed “Either, I guess. But all the stuff you guys were just saying? All that happens in Bardo. There are different progressive stages where you can have hallucinations. Some you see, some you just hear. And you can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities.”

“Well this may actually have something to it.” You murmur as Isaac repeats wrathful deities as if he’s asking what they are.

Kira doesn’t bat an eye when she responds “Like demons.”

“Demons- why not?” Stiles says like he’s not sure he believes it but is also resigned to it. Just how much do they know and not know?

“Wait.. If there are different progressive stages, then what’s the last one?” Allison asks and no one misses the underlying hint of panic in her voice.

It takes you only a second for the answer to occur to you. You’re sure that everyone else knows what it is too but that doesn’t keep the atmosphere from getting heavy when Kira cheerily responds, “Death. You die.”

The group remains silent the rest of lunch and you can tell the Kira is confused. She apologizes to your group before moving on. It takes you a moment and she’s almost down the steps when you decide to go after her, calling her name as you do. She stops and turns to wait for you. “Look I’m sorry about them, I’m sure you just surprised them and no one really knew how to change the topic.”

“Oh.. no.. that’s ok. I probably shouldn’t have been so cheerful when i said death. It probably came across kind of creepy.” she gives a forced chuckle at the end and you let out your own chuckle, though it’s much more natural.

The bell rings then and you extend your hand towards her as you say “I’m Natasha by the way. I’ll see you in History?” Kira just looks at your hand like she’s not a hundred percent sure you’re actually reaching out shake her hand and you don’t blame her. It is a kind of antiquated thing to do. She nods after a moment and then shakes your hand before taking off herself.

After History, you’re so glad that you can finally head home. After that moment in the library and the talk of Bardo at lunch, you’ve been on the verge of freaking out. You haven’t really been able to breathe and could barely understand a word that Mr. Yukimura said let alone the notes on his slide show.

You’re walking to your bike and pass Scott standing in front of a blue jeep. It’s in that moment that you suddenly remember that you’ve got either his or Stiles’ bandana so you call your name as you walk up to him. Digging into your backpack, you pull out the cloth and hand it to him “I think this is yours, or maybe your friends, either way, it was in the classroom the other day after you two left.”

“Um.. thanks for returning it.” He smiles at you but you’re already getting on your bike. You give him a salute before putting your helmet on and leaving the parking lot.

Isaac texts you before you head to bed, saying that Allison really needs him tonight and he won’t be making it. You simply respond and tell him to take care of her. You, then, check your alarms and get ready for bed before calling it a night.

You’re awoken by the sound of your screams.


	5. Chapter 5

It’s a couple days later and Peter and Derek were both gone. You were beginning to worry but you weren’t sure who you could reach out to you. If you told your dad, he would be pissed and who knew what he would do. You make the decision to not tell him anything, though you are going to tell Isaac. If you haven’t heard from either one by next week you’d tell your dad.

Sitting on your bed, you pulled open your laptop and sipped on your coffee. The last few nights had been sleepless. The terrors were back but you hadn’t said a word to Isaac. Allison’s visions had been getting worse and you didn’t want him to feel like he had to pick between either of you. So, you’re on the second cup this morning. The coffee was stronger and you’d even started drinking it black. As you sipped, your screen lit up and you smiled as you accepted the incoming video call. As the picture transforms, you can’t help the smile that stretches across your face, it was so good to see him again. “Hi Daddy!”

It had only been a week since you had las talked to them but since the bond had muted, it made the week feel exponentially longer. So, you had spent the morning talking to your dad and your brothers. Everyone sent their love and you asked your dad some questions about The Pull before he got off the line.

It’s after the conversation with your dad that you decide to talk to Isaac. You’re going to tell him about The Pull and why it is that you’re in Beacon, to begin with. Sending your new friend a text, the two of you arrange to meet at the McCall house for a late lunch.

You’re nervous when you pull up to the McCall house. You know that what you’re going to say sounds kind of crazy to anyone who doesn’t know your family or their story. Thankfully, though, Scott’s bike is gone and it seems like Isaac\ is the only one at the house right now. Isaac opened the door for you and you both made your way to the living room and just like that first night, you sit in the corner of the larger couch. This time, you tuck your legs under your chin, making yourself as small as possible.

Isaac sits on the other couch in the living room and watches you. Whatever it is you want to talk to him about can’t be good if you’re trying to shrink in front of his eyes. He decides not to say anything just yet, figuring that you’ll start talking about whatever you wanted to talk about when you’re ready. All you had said was that it’s important.

The silence that falls between the two of you is not uncomfortable though it is heavy. You’re debating the best way to start this conversation when you figure it’s easier to just start off with what he knows, so taking a deep breath you jump in “What did Derek tell you? About why I’m here.”

Isaac looks a little sheepish but says “That you’re being pulled here. Pulled here to meet someone. He said it started before the whole Nemeton thing and that the further from this person you are, the more pain you’re in…”

Isaac is silent for a moment and then, after a beat, he continues “He also said that if you don’t find this person, that things can get really ugly.”

The chuckle that escapes your lips is a bitter one. You aren’t at all surprised that Derek shared what he did. Though you are surprised that he has any inkling about things getting bad. That was always something that your family hid from the world, you’d have to make sure to clarify with Isaac.

“Isaac, what do you know about soul mates?”

“Aren’t they supposed to be your other half? Someone that completes - wait a second. Are - are you saying that you have a soulmate? Here? In Beacon Hills?” There’s an excited spark in his eyes as he talks and you shake your head and scoff.

“That’s a load of shit.” at your vehement response Isaac begins to speak but you lift your hand, indicating for him to remain silent, “Just, let me explain, okay?”

He nods and you continue “A soulmate is well i don’t know that I’ll get this right but I’ll get as close as I can. A soulmate is someone who you can trust unconditionally. Someone who brings out the best in you and pushes you to your strongest. When you accept your soulmate, you will do EVERYTHING you can to protect them. Your entire world revolves around them and what they need of you.

Most people tend to think of soulmates as as paris. Person A belongs to Person B and vice versa. Well the curse in my family is that that formula doesn’t work. Person A belongs to Person B but Person B has to choose to be with Person A. There’s a connection there, but Person B can always fall in love with someone else.”

“How’s that possible?”

“There has to be a balance in the world. Natural and supernatural. So when all this came about, a very powerful goddess, Themis I think, made it so that there was still an option to chose.”

“But what about you being in pain?”

“The pain is supposed to be a reminder, that the person we’re pulled to is a precious gift that needs to be cherished and protected. When you run from it, my dad says, you’re condemning not only yourself but them as well. If you never meet them, then how can they choose you? It’s not a very pleasant thought, so we’re more likely to go find them. Some people, though, will still run. The further you go, the worse the pain is. You can escape it for a little while by transitioning into your wolf. The wolf can handle more pain than the human body. The thing is, the wolf is more likely to search for their soulmate. The instinct there more primal.”

You have so much more to say but you stay silent for a few moments. Isaac digests your words and the words that Derek says before he gets up and asks “Did you run?” as he crosses to sit on the opposite end of the couch you were on.

Looking at him you tilt your head as you think about it. Averting your gaze you shrug, “Kind of? I grew up knowing that this was a possibility. There was no guarantee I’d experience The Pull but my dad did - and .. my Tia Clara.” Isaac doesn’t miss the catch in your voice,” So, I knew what it meant when the pack bonds went silent.

My dad was shocked because it presented so much earlier than normal. But he’s always wanted the best for me. Somehow, my dad was able to get a hold of a bunch of Alpha’s and made up some reason for them to be okay with us coming into their territories. The pain started almost immediately and so I had to learn to control the shift. I swear I have spent more time in my fur than I have my skin the last few months. Eventually, one of my brothers made the joke that I should come here. I thought he was insane.. Well more insane than usual, but my dad thought it was a good idea. The closer that we got, the more manageable the pain got. Now days it’s mostly just an ache like I hit too much weight at the gym.”

“But why didn’t your brother or dad come with you?”

“Brothers. And they were going to but then my Tia came back. You see - she’s the reason I think this thing’s a curse. Clara had a soulmate and her soulmate picked someone else.” Your eye closed as you got lost in memories of happier times in the past. Isaac could tell you had more to to say and that it was going to be hard, so he wrapped his arms around you and waited for you to continue. It took a moment and tears were pooling in your eyes “The human part of us can explain away rejection. Can explain away a broken heart through reasoning, no matter how faulty. But the Wolf - the Wolf isn’t capable of understanding a broken heart. They mate for life and so when their soulmate rejects them, there is no one else for them. Wolves are social creatures and the Pack bonds we make are what keep us sane in the long run. When we are pulled to our soulmate, the Pack Bond gets muted. A Wolf with their soulmate, can re-establish the Pack Bonds. The Soulmate becomes the anchor.. Without that, the bonds have no chance and will fade away. Being alone and unable to create a bond, the Wolf will eventually lose their mind and go feral. When that happens, they lose themselves and both the human and the Wolf are bloodthirst, nothing and no one is safe from them. My family had a choice, put her down or let the hunters catch her.” By the end, there’s tears running down your face but your voice has not broken but Isaac knows exactly what happened. 

“I’m sorry for dropping all of this on you,” you whisper to him.

He snorts softly and you feel him shake his head before he says, “Natasha, the only issue here is that I’m not your soulmate,” and he sounds so offended that you move away from him quickly, a horrified gasp leaving your lips. You didn’t realize that he saw you that way. You were so sure that Allision - you see the smirk on his face and relief floods you.

“You’re an ass,” you scold as you smack his chest and a chuckle escapes your lips. The mood in the room becomes lighter.

“How did you know?”

“I wasn’t actually sure but I asked my dad about it. He said that with the amount of time we’ve spent together and the fact that you can’t pull me from the nightmares and the way I talk about you, it’s more like your one of those two idiots than a mate. He said I would have known if it was you by now.”

“Well you have another brother now.”

You smile at the boy who has become a close friend and hug him tightly for a moment before leaning back against the couch, head facing the ceiling. “So now that we’ve done hard, serious, gross, conversation about why I’m here- can we PLEASE change gears?”

Isaac laughs with you and the two of you spend the rest of the afternoon watching movies. He picked the first one but you got pick the second. You’re almost done with Return of the Jedi when the door slams open.

Scott comes into the house and looks like he is going to murder someone.

“Scott…” you call softly, trying to pull his attention to you.

It takes him a moment but he looks at you then Isaa before a curt greeting escapes his lips. “Hey Isaac… Natasha….”

Scott is muttering under his breath and pacing in the living room. The movie long forgotten you and Isaac just watch the disgruntled man in front of you. You were about to ask him what was going on when the back door opened and a taller man in a suit walked in, he stopped and greeted Scott then Isaac, his eyes fell on you and you were about to introduce yourself when Scott practically growled your name. At first, you thought he was growling at you but when you looked at him you noticed that his eyes were locked on the new man.

“Guys, can you give us a minute?” Scott asked and Isaac nodded. You followed him upstairs and could hear Scott arguing with the guy. Apparently this was Scott’s dad. You hadn’t known he was in the picture. Of course, you didn’t know much about the guy.

The two were arguing back and forth about the Sheriff of the town. If you remembered what Isaac told you, correctly, then this meant that the guy was trying to hurt Stiles. That and him pissing off Scott, your instinct is to dislike the man.

As the two continue to argue, you begin to tune them out. Their words get muddied and you can feel yourself fighting for control. Before you’ve fully realized it, your fangs have elongated and your claws lengthen. You’re tempted to take a swipe at Isaac. Isaac has taken notice and is calling your name, you turn to him a your eyes flash and you snarl at him, he puts his hands up and stays still.

As you continue to snarl at him, a woman’s voice breaks into the fog “..be your own anchor.” That’s right, you are the one in control. It takes a moment but you’re able to retract your claws and a groan escapes your lips as you clench your fists and through gritted teeth you begin the chant to center yourself “We are the sum of the heart, the mind, the instinct… We are the sum of the heart, the mind, the instinct… We are the sum of the heart, the mind, the instinct…” you repeat the mantra through gritted teeth and, slowly, your breathing returns to normal. Your eyes return to their normal color and your heart rate evens out.

“They’re purple?”

“And sometimes they’re blue.. Before you ask, I have no idea why..”

“What was that?”

“I don’t know, it was just listening to them arguing and - that guy’s a real piece of shit! It’s not the sheriffs fault that the supernatural world seems to be a little more murderous around here! But it was just like.. The more that he talked the more angry i became and I wanted to really go rip his throat out. I couldn’t stop the anger…”

“Well… that’s comforting.”

You were about to respond when there was a knock on Isaacs door and suddenly Scott was barging in. “Get dressed you two…we’re going out..”

Suddenly there’s a woman behind him and she puts both hands on Scotts shoulders “Oh no you’re not. Well, not all of you. Isaac has homework he has to get caught up on. I got a call from the school mister, you’re failing English.” She seems to finally notice you and looks confused. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Umm.. I’m Natasha… A friend of Isaacs.”

The woman looks at Isaac then you then scott. She merely nods her head. “Well it’s nice to meet yoNatasha. I’m Melissa.”

“I’m sure it’ll be a pleasure, ma’am.”

She motions for Isaac to sit back down. Scott kisses his mothers cheek and leaves the room. You think about heading back to the loft but quickly realize that you need to make friends with Scott if you’re going to be spending time in Beacon Hills. Saying a quick goodbye, you run out and catch Scott as he’s getting on his bike. “Where we going?”

His eyes scrutinize you but it’s not long before he nods his head. “Stiles’ place. We need to get him first.”

Nodding your head, you start up your own bike and follow him to the house. There’s something about the house that seems familiar though you’re sure that you’ve never been here before. Scott tells you to wait for him and while you do, you’re trying to figure out what it is about the house that seems so familiar. It’s a few minutes later when Scott comes back out of the house with Stiles directly behind him.

Stiles eyes fall on you, “Wait, why are you here?”

“I can help.”

“We don’t know that”

“Look, you’re going out in the middle of the night in a town that has been riddled with murders. I would say having two werewolves around is better than one. And if it makes you feel better, Stiles, I won’t leave your side. That way you can make sure I’m not trying to do anything.” You’re voice is kind of sarcastic and you know that you’re being a bit of a jerk but you’re not sure why Stiles seems to dislike you so much and why it bothers you.

It takes Scott and Stiles arguing in hushed whispers that you pretend not to hear but Stiles agrees and you follow them to Stiles car. It was the blue jeep you had seen in the parking lot at school.

Stiles drives and you can tell that Stiles wants to continue to grill you but he seems to setting for drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Scott is pulling up directions on his phone and giving them to Stiles so you’re just awkwardly sitting in the back seat. When you get to whatever place they were looking for, you all pile out of the car and the glint of moonlight catches your eye, but you pay it no mind.

You’re following the boys through the woods when Stiles speaks up, “You know, if my dad’s right, that means there’s another werewolf in town that we haven’t met yet.”

“I know.”

“And if it turns out to be something like triplets that form into like, a three-headed hound of hell, I’m seriously not up for that.”

Scott answers in the affirmative and talks about the problem with controlling his shift.

“Guys,” you say and they turn to look at you, “First, there’s plenty of supernatural creatures in the area you haven’t met. Though it’s not likely to be a wolf, their much too territorial to have not challenged you.

Also, Cerberus hasn’t been let out of Hades in a few millenium, if he’s here - you’ve got bigger issues than a dead body.”

The boys fall silent and you continue through your trek in the woods. The silence is cut by a coyote’s howl. You jump and Stiles manages to knock Scott’s phone out of his hands.

Apologizing, he says “I hate coyotes, so much. They always sound like they’re mauling some helpless little animal.” You don’t disagree with his description of the sound and Scott goes to get his phone.

While the two of them are dealing with Scotts phone, you walk ahead, passing some boulders and stumble upon something that shouldn’t be there. “Hey guys… I think I found the crash site.” Stiles grabs the flashlight from Scotts hand and you all make your way around the crash. Stiles is the first one to notice the claw marks.

There had been a were here. Scott and Stiles are convinced it’s a werewolf but, unless they were just traveling through, your not so sure. The Hale family would have hunted down a wolf who had caused this if they had. Taking a deep breath, you realize there’s a scent coming closer and suddenly there’s a low growling.

There’s a coyote growling at your group. Scott takes off after the wolf and you go to follow but hear Stiles calling after him. Remembering you had promised to stay you stop and turn around. At his questioning look you raise an eyebrow at him before reminding him “Staying by your side so you can keep an eye on me, remember?”

He seems surprised but nods his head.

It’s silent between the two of you as his eyes remained trained on you. At first, you try to ignore it but as the silence stretches, you realize that there is no avoiding him. Turning towards him, you raise your hands, palms upwards, questioning what he has against you.

“What do you think I’m here to do?”

“Something.. I don’t know what but it’s something.”

“Stiles” you begin, you can’t tell him everything but you can give him something. “I promise you, on Odin, on … Xolotl, hell on Themis herself, that I am not here to cause any harm.”

“Wait who?”

“Odin- Norse god of wisdom, poetry, war, death, magic, divination… He was fond of ravens and wolves.

Xolotl, the canine brother of Quetzalcoatl, god of us supposed monsters…

Themis, goddess of justice…”

“No, I know who they are… well two of them, but why promise on them?”

“You do realize that they’re all real? All the old gods and goddesses exsted and their gifts and curses are still here.. They mean something to my family.”

“Wait so -”

There’s a cracking branch and suddenly Scotts sliding to a stop between you and Stiles. His voice is filled with shocked awe when he calls out “It’s Malia!”


	6. Chapter 6

“Wait, who’s Malia?”

Stiles huffs in your direction and the motions to Scott as if to say really?

“Hey!” you snap, “It’s not my fault that I don’t know what’s going on currently. I thought we were coming out here to find a dead body, now there’s a werecoyote who you seem to know.” You miss the quick glance that the two share when you call the animal a werecoyote.

Stiles opens his mouth to argue with you but then closes it, only to repeat the gesture a couple more times. Crossing your arms across your chest, you raise your eyebrow at him waiting for the argument you can see him trying to form. After a few minutes, he can’t seem to find one, so, instead, he tells you about the accident 8 years ago and how his dads just trying to solve this case while he still can.

“Did you know her?” you question both boys. When they shake their heads, you turn your attention to Scott, “So how do you know it’s her?”

“I just know..”

Logically, you don’t like the answer - you want something more than just knowing and there’s a moment’s pause while you try to think of the best way to explain that just knowing is cockamanie nonsense. But, they’re both looking at you like they’re begging you to trust them and you’re about to ignore their looks, regardless of how puppy-dog they seem. However, your Instinct decides to dig in it’s heels and says to trust them and while you don’t like it, you decide to follow your instinct. Slowly, you nod your head.

“Alright then - let’s go find her.”

The shock on their faces would have made you laugh in a different scenario “Guys?” when neither answers, you snap your fingers, one hand in front of each boy “Guys - we’ve got a werecoyote to find, remember?”

They seem to snap out of their shock and the three of you make plans to search the woods. Neither of the boys is entirely sure what they’re looking for and when they ask you, you point out that if she’s still living in these woods, it means that she’s got a den nearby. Eventually, it’s decided to break off into two groups, Scott heads in one direction and you stay with Stiles.

Both you and Stiles are searching the woods and you find that you’re surprisingly calm considering that you’re in the middle of the woods at night and running on little sleep. Though, you are begging to get frustrated with the not so subtle glances Stiles sends your way. It’s just as you are about to turn around and snap at him, that he manages to slip on something. He hits the ground and you hear him groan in the back of his throat.

“You alright over there?”

“Fine.. just… fine” his voice comes out frustrated and a bit embarrassed. You’re about to go check on him when he gets up and walks, a bit quickly, past you.

It’s best to leave it alone for now. Turning, you notice that you’re at a grouping of boulders and if ever there was a place that looked like it could house dens, this was it. You and Stiles spread out to cover more ground and you’re climbing through some of the rocks to see if you can find anything when you hear Stiles calls your name. Before you can even turn around to face him he’s telling you to go get Scott.

You make your way back down the boulder you’d been climbing and rush in the back in the direction the two of you had come. Somehow don’t hear the rustling leaves or heavy footsteps that are running towards you.

Running into Scott you both scream in surprise, jumping back from each other. You’re the first to recover and quickly say “Stiles found something.”

Scott has responded but you pay him no mind as you grab his arm and tug him to where Stiles was waiting. He’s standing near an opening when you get Scott there, “It’s a coyote den,” he says as he turns and walks into an opening in the rocks.

You and Scott follow after him and as you enter the den, Stiles is picking up a blue jacket pointing it out to Scott. You see what looks like a teddy bear and pick it up before handing it to Scott. Scott just looks at the bear like he’s surprised it exists.

“We shouldn’t be here you guys..” you say softly.

When Stiles asks what you mean, it’s Scott who replies “She’s not gonna come back now, we just invaded her home. Our scent’s going to be everywhere.”

“Well If she’s not gonna come back here, where’s she gonna go?”

Scott shakes his head, not knowing and it occurs to you, “She has to find a new den. Normally, she would find something as far from here as possible seeing as how wolves are pack hunters and you make nervous.”

Stiles groans and then asks Scott “Can you track her? You think you got her scent now?”

“Maybe, but I’m better at this when I’m a full wolf. And I’m still worried that if I do it, I won’t be able to turn back.”

Clearing your throat, you pull their attention to you, your voice is slightly sarcastic when you speak, “Yeah, hi..I’m right here.. Scott’s not the only werewolf. I’ve got her scent, I can track her.”

Scott nods and you look at Stiles, waiting for him to argue. You had said you wouldn’t leave his side, and you would keep your word, but you’ve got a chance to help. He seems to debate with himself internally before he nods. With the approval, you head out of the den and begin your search.

Stiles watched her leave the den and wondered if he should have insisted on going with her. Turning back to Scott, the two of them go back and forth for a few minutes before deciding to call his dad in.

Making their way out of the room den and a little further out, they come to the realization that they actually aren’t too far from a hiking trail and a service road for the reserve. 

While they’re waiting, Stiles turns to his oldest friend “You think we can actually trust her?”

“Isaac does.”

“Do you?”

“I don’t know. I mean, she hasn’t done anything for us to suspect her of anything.”

“How about just showing up after the crazy, psycho sacrifices thing?”

“Isaac says she’d been pulled her for a lot longer.. Stiles- how about we just give her the benefit of the doubt?”

Scott sounds like he’s tired and it isn’t something that he wants to fight about so Stiles reluctantly agrees but promises himself that he’s going to keep an eye on the new girl. If she was here to hurt any of them, she was going down.

The two fall into a companionable silence and he notices that Sotts making a couple phone calls repeatedly. He’s about to ask who he’s calling when Scott leaves a message for Derek to call him back and it’s then that his dads cruiser pulls up.

You went back to the site of the crash, sure that you’d be able to catch the most recent scent there. You open your senses and try to figure out if you can find Malia. The thing is that she is literally everywhere in the forest. Which, makes sense, this is her home. But the odd thing, is that none of the scents seem fresher than any of the others. In fact, all of them seem to be a few days old.

Stripping down, you transform into your full wolf form, you dig your muzzle into the fauna and crevices that you couldn’t reach in your human form. It takes you a little bit, but eventually, you realize that you cannot distinguish a newer smell. You work your way through the the nearby areas and find that you cannot find a thing.

Returning to your clothing, you get dressed and begin to make your way to the boys and the den. The closer you get, you realize that there’s more people here. There’s a group of cars not too far and you notice that there’s an older man leaning against a squad car sobbing, a deputy is trying to console him. Averting your eyes, you find the boys standing a little ways away from the den.

You begin to make your way towards the boys, amidst the chaos, when you hear Mr. Suit’s voice arguing with someone. Your lip curls and your eyes search for the two voices.

When your eyes catch sight of them, he’s arguing with a man in uniform, a man your assuming is Stiles dad. Your suspicions are confirmed a moment later “Come on Stilinski,” Mr. Suit practically spits out, “You know how this goes, it’s the not knowing that ruins people like Tate. The truth, no matter how profoundly it sucks, the truth is always better than not knowing.”

“God he’s an ass..” you growl out and there’s someone jumping next to you. Turning, you see Stiles clutching his chest. You hadn’t realized that you had made your way to the boys.

Scott’s giving you a questioning look and you raise your eyebrow then nod your head back at the two older men, “Mr. Suit- literally an asshole. How do you know him?”

“He’s my dad…”

“Oh…” you say softly, you remember the argument from earlier and try to remember if you can remember Scott calling him dad or Mr. Suit calling Scott son but then shake your head, it doesn’t matter if he’s Scott’s dad. “He’s still an ass.”

Scott doesn’t disagree with you but Stiles asks if you were able to catch the scent. Shaking your head, you say “I couldn’t catch anything fresh to track.”

Scott asks if you’re able to get a hold of Derek.

“I can try but, honestly I haven’t heard from him or Peter in almost a week…”


	7. Chapter 7

It’s a few days later and you’re running late for class because you’d stayed up the night before trying to see if you could figure out where Derek and Peter were. You hadn’t found anything and had actually fallen asleep sometime around 4.

As you’re running to class, you hear your name being called. The principal’s secretary is waving you over and it’s not like you’ve got much of a choice so you head over to the older woman. Thankfully, she doesn’t scold you for your tardiness. In fact. she actually hands you a new schedule, explaining that some teachers needed to have some adjustments made and lets you go.

Looking at your schedule you notice that the only thing that’s changed is that you now have World History first and Econ last.

It’s as you're making your way to Mr. Yukimura’s class that you’re suddenly hit by the inability to breathe. The sensation takes you by surprise and you almost double over. That feeling like someone is choking you begins all over again. It’s happened a bit more often the last few days but there’s no rhyme or reason to it. Thankfully, you’ve kind of figured out how to get through it. Leaning against a set of lockers in the hallway, you repeat the mantra your family has always used to center themselves “I am the sum of the Heart, the Mind, the Instinct… “ You force yourself to breathe through each word.

It’s when you feel like you’ve almost got control of it that you hear doors being opened, you look over and see both Scott and Stiles rushing out of the history classroom and down the hall.

You’re not gonna follow them, at least that’s what you tell yourself. Without conscious thought, though, you had already moved down the hallway and were entering another set of doors, the same doors they had just crashed through.

You find Stiles panting over a sink, his heartbeats through the roof and you hear Scott ask “-how do you tell if your dreaming or awake?”

“Your fingers” you answer, Scott jumps and turns to look at you, surprise on his face. However, he's quickly pulled back to Stiles.

“You have extra fingers in dreams.” Stiles manages to get out, he’s still breathing hard and you’re worried that he’s going to pass out from lack of oxygen. 

Scott looks down at his hands before putting them up in front of him. “How many do I have?”

When Stiles doesn’t even look at him, you call his name at the same time that Scott’sable to actually get his attention.

“Come on Stiles, look at my hands and count with me.”

Stiles tries, he really does but he can’t seem to focus on Scott. You reach out and grab Stiles’ arm. When he turns to you, you lift your other hand and put up your forefinger. He seems to struggle, even still, and so you say his name again. “Stiles, please?” You’re not sure why but that seems to help him focus and so the two you begin. Slowly, the two you count your fingers all the way to ten.

Stiles realizes that he’s not in a dream you can see the despair flood across his face. The emotion is so powerful, you let out a small whine. It’s only when he falls back against the wall and slides down to sit on the floor do you realize that at some point, you had intertwined your fingers with his.

As Scott moves past you to sit with his friend, he squeezes your arm and murmurs a soft thank you. Nodding your head, you take a step backward, allowing the two friends their space. You can’t help but think it’s a testament to just how freaked out Stiles is when he makes no comment about your help, no snark or sarcasm. Instead, he just looks at Scott.

“What the hell is happening to me?”

“We’ll figure it out. You’re gonna be okay.”

“Am I? Are you?” it’s the uncertainty in his voice, that causes something within you to stir. You’re not going to let this, whatever it is, destroy them.

“Scott,” Stiles continues “you can’t transform. Allison’s being haunted by her dead aunt... And I’m straight-up losing my mind. We can’t … We can’t help Malia. We can’t help anyone.”

“You can try,” you say before you’ve thought of anything and Scott looks at you, a sad smile on his face. Stiles gives you a look that says he’s not sure. “Stiles, you can try..”

“Natasha’s right... We can try. We can always try.” Scott says to his best friend.

There are a million things that can be said in the silence that envelops the room. No one is actually sure of what they’re going to do or how they’re going to do it. It’s the bells shrill ringing that brings you all out of moment. When neither of the boys move, you pick up your discarded book bag and begin to make your way out.

As you’re walking out, you hear a soft, slightly melancholy voice, “Hey, Natasha…”

“Yea Stiles?”

“Thank you..”

“Anytime,” you whisper and push the door open. A scent catches your attention and you stop in the doorway taking a deeper breath. “Malia?”

Scott’s on his feet moving towards you when he seems to realize that Stiles is still trying to stand, his legs somewhat wobbly. You motion for Scott to go be Scott and make your way over to Stiles.

It takes a moment before he’s steady on his feet. As soon as he is though, you’re both headed out the same way Scott went. You want to ask Stiles to stay behind but you’re sure that, that particular request will not go over well. So, you pull him along with you as you follow Scott’s scent.

You’re just down the hall from the locker room when there is a loud clanging and a thud. Stiles is running and you follow suit, getting past him and pulling the door open. You see Scott and Kira standing to the side of some fallen lockers and Scott’s eyes are scanning the area.

“Kira!” you call and the girl seems startled that you’re there. Stepping into the room, you push past Scott, the girl seems to finally register you’re in the room. “Hey,” you say softly, trying not to startle her further, “You okay?”

The girl nods her head and you pull her by the elbow, guiding her away from the broken mess. You sit her down on one of the benches that’s still standing. She’s shaking and so you pull an arm around her and try to comfort her. Slowly, she stops shaking.

“Was that really a coyote? How did it get in” Kira asks softly, her voice on the edge of panic.

“I - I don’t know Kira..” you say, realizing that there’s nothing you can think of that would bring Malia to the school let alone inside.

You continue to try and soothe Kira and you’re not sure how long you’re there but Mr. Yukimura is soon rushing in, calling his daughters name. Kira gets up quickly and you allow the man to embrace his daughter.

Leaving them to their moment, you look and realize that you’re not sure where Stiles or Scott are at. There’s deputies and animal control coming into the room and you’re lucky that you’re able to get past them.

You go and sit on the floor in front of some lockers, your head leaning against the cool metal and your knees tucked up to your chest, you close your eyes and try to drown out the noise around you. Today, has been, quite a ride for you emotionally. You’ve found yourself becoming very protective of Scott and Stiles, making promises you’re not sure how your going to keep.

It’s because you’re trying to drown out the world that you don’t hear your name being called. However, when a shadow falls over you, you open your eyes to see Isaac looking a little out of breath and very worried. He kneels down in front of you, taking a one of your hands in his larger ones while asking if you’re ok.

Confusion laces your voice when you ask him, “Honestly, I’m just really tired and feel like I could use more coffee.. why?”

“Why weren’t you in econ this morning?” and it’s then that you realize, he had no idea. His concern begins to make more sense.

“Oh, Isaac, I am so sorry! I was running late and then they gave me a new schedule and I was going to text you when I got to History but then Scott and Stiles had some kind of thing.. And then this thing with Malia almost mauling Kira and…” you chuckle softly “Do you see why I need coffee?”

Isaac raised his eyebrow at you and then moved to sit next to you. Leaning your head on his shoulder, you watch as even more animal control and the deputies begin to filter into the school.

“How did the other night go?” Isaac asks and you shake your head while on his shoulder.

“Honestly? I’m not sure it went all that well. Scott seems like he’s going to trust me so I guess that’s a good thing. Stiles though, he seems to not be a fan of me. You know when we got to his house, he demanded to know why I was there. I mean sure, it might be a bit odd that I’m there but seriously, who is going to complain about more werewolves around to protect them? Then, I swear, the guy decided to drive like a maniac to try and terrify me but he doesn’t know Aaric’s driving… and then when we’re there I didn’t think he actually was gonna keep an eye on me the entire time. I mean seriously! What does he think I’m gonna do? Is it because I’m related to Peter and Derek? They’ve-”

“Natasha..” Isaac cuts you off, a laugh leaving his throat. “While I’m glad you’re getting to know them… that’s umm… Not actually what I meant.”

It takes you a moment to figure out and you are so glad that you’re leaning against Isaac and that he won’t see the flush of your face, “I mean, I’m sure that Scott or Allison told you how we found her den but Scott - well he’s still struggling. So I went to go look and couldn’t pick up anything. Isaac, it was like she hadn’t been there in days based off the scents I was getting but we had just seen her, so how is that possible?”

“Well has that ever happened before?”

“No… it was the first time I couldn’t get my senses to connect..”

Both you stay silent, each of you contemplating different things about what that may mean. You have a suspicion of something but don’t want to say anything until you’re more sure about it. There’s a commotion down the hall and you and Isaac both adjust so that you can see better.

It’s the man from last night. The one that was sobbing near the cruiser. He’s being escorted out by deputies and you can tell that he’s upset but he’s also mad. His face is hard and he looks like he is on a mission… That can’t be good.

Isaac’s phone distracts you by chiming repeatedly, like someone’s sending him multiple messages. You figure that it’s Allison and are about to tell him to go take care of his not-girlfriend when he turns to you.

“Why didn’t you tell me you hadn’t heard from Derek?”

“Didn’t I tell you that? Peter’s gone radio silent for a couple days now too.”

“Uh… no… I definitely would have remembered you telling me that…. You can’t stay at the loft alone.”

“I’m sorry Isaac I swear I thought I told you- Wait why?”

“We need to meet Scott.” He says as he pushes himself up and begins to move towards the school exit.

Huffing you get up and begin to follow him as you call out, “You do realize that’s not an answer right?”

Isaac just keeps going.


	8. Chapter 8

You were much too tired to ride so you hopped on the back of Isaac’s bike and make him do the driving. When you pulled up to a cream building you’d gotten off and asked Isaac what it is you were doing a veterinarian clinic. When he merely pointed out that this was where Scott was you nodded your head and followed your friend into the building. 

You were about to cross to the back but a barrier blocked you, it actually stung a little bit when you walked into it. Looking down, you recognized the wood that made the little door by the reception area. Your eyes scan the rest of the room and you realize that it’s everywhere. 

“Isaac, why is there a Mountain Ash all over the place?”

“Oh. Deaton’s…this is Deaton’s place.” 

It’s then that a middle-aged man walks out to the front, he’s wearing a lab coat and when he sees you his eyes quickly go from recognition to surprise then confusion. You’re not sure who this man is but he nods at you then Isaac and welcomes the both of you before opening the small door and letting you in. He walks to the examination room where Scott and Stiles are at before moving on to another room.

Scott and Stiles greet both you but Scott is the only one to greet Isaac. As the man, Deaton returns he has three vials in hand. 

“Xylazine. It’s a tranquilizer for horses. For a were coyote, expect it to work within seconds. I only have 3, so whoever's shooting needs to be a damn good shot.”

“Allison’s a perfect shot”

“She used to be…” Isaac counters and you remember what Allison had told you about the day she went shooting with Lydia Other than almost impaling her friend, she hadn’t been able to get an arrow anywhere near a target. 

“She can do it.” Scott counters and his voice is so sure that you almost believe it yourself. 

“If we manage to find the thing.” 

You turn to Isaac mouthing at him in disbelief as Stiles says “Okay, what is the point of him?” a finger raised in Isaac's direction, “Seriously, I mean what is his purpose” you let a low grow out at Stiles. 

Thankfully, either no one seems to notice or they decide to ignore you and Stiles continues “Aside from the persistent negativity. And the scarf?”

“Seriously Stiles?” you begin but Isaac shakes his head you and turns his gaze to Stiles who hasn’t stopped. “What is up with the scarf anyway? It’s 65 degrees out.” 

This time, you’re sure that you’re going to end up punching him. You had told him and Scott that you would help and you would but this was uncalled for and ridiculous. 

Isaac crosses his arms and leans forward on the balls of his feet slightly before addressing the room. “Look maybe I’m asking the question no one here wants to ask? Alright? How do we turn a coyote back into a girl when she hasn’t been a girl in eight years?”

“An Alpha’s call…” you answer simply and everyone turns their eyes on you, shocked that there’s an answer but also expectant for more. “You know that an Alpha has the ability to command right?” at their nods you continue “It’s that very thing. Usually, it works best within the pack bonds but an Alpha call can work outside of the bonds too.”

“But Tasha… she’s not a wolf…”

“No, but she is a canine. I mean, it’s worth a shot, isn’t it? Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work, and we're back to trying to figure out how to get her to shift. Best case scenario,” you turn your attention to Stiles, “We save a girl and help your dad out in the process.”

There’s a silence that follows and you all turn to look at Scott. He looks worried for a moment before standing tall. “I can do it.”

Stiles simply asks if he can and Scott nods. “You remember the night Peter trapped us in the school?” He asks Stiles and then turns to looks at you and your not sure why until he continues “In the gym he was able to make me turn using just his voice.. Deucalion did the same thing in the distillery.” 

You’re skin prickles at the thought, the Alpha call being abused in that way is a gross and uncomfortable. Deucalion knows some for this so you’re not entirely surprised but Peter doing the same surprises you and bothers you on a much deeper level. 

Deaton asks if there is anyone that can teach Scott and Isaac nudges your arm, “What about your dad?”

You shake your head, “He’s looking for Clara still..”

“That’s why you called Derek first,” Stiles says to Scott and they both look at you, expectation written clearly in their features. 

“I haven’t been able to get a hold of him - or Peter for that matter.”

Sighing, Scott says “I could try it on my own, but right now I’m too scared to change into even just a werewolf.”

“We need a real Alpha,” Stiles says somewhat absentmindedly. At Scotts, reaction, he tries to clarify, “You know what I mean an Alpha who can do Alpha things…. You know, an Alpha who can get it going…. You know, get it….”

“Up?” you offer when Stiles seems to be floundering for the right word to use. 

“Great- I’m an Alpha with performance issues.” Scott murmurs, softly. 

“Well, hopefully, those performance issues are just in connecting with your Wolf and not.. Other areas..” you mutter under your breath. Scott looks genuinely worried at the idea while Stiles is gaping at you. Isaac, on the other hand, is trying really hard not to laugh. You hadn’t realized that you had said that loud enough to hear and it’s not like you can take it back so you’re trying to think of a way out of this particular odd situation when Deaton clears his throat. 

“Is there anyone else that can help?”

“I wouldn’t trust Peter.”

“Also not currently around, Isaac, so it’s not like he’s an option.” you remind through gritted teeth. 

“Maybe the twins?”

You’re about to point out that asking those two for anything is a colossally bad idea, they were after all part of Deucalion’s pack, when Deaton says “They’re not alphas, anymore. After what Jennifer did, almost killing them? It broke that part of them.”

“Yea, but what if they know how to do it?” Stiles counters.

“You’d still have to trust them which is a stupid idea.”

Stiles turns his gaze to you “Natasha, you said it yourself- we have to try. Worst thing that can happen is -”

“We’re right back where we started..” you grumble. Crossing your arms, you take a deep breath before sighting and throwing out just your forearms, “I still think it’s a bad idea.. But you’re gonna do what you guys need to do. I- I’m here to help if you need it.”

Scott shakes his head and points out that it doesn’t really matter as no ones’s actually seen the twins in weeks. 

You don’t miss the scent of jealousy that seems to spike in Stiles when he says “Well, actually - that’s… uh… not totally true.” 

You think she can get them to help us?” Scott asks Stiles, a tone of uncertainty in his voice. Stiles merely nods his head and pulls his phone out before sending Lydia a text. 

As everyone’s waiting for a response, you all begin to discuss ways in which you can get Malia’s scent. It’s Deaton who thinks of something and tells the wolves in the group that there’s a pretty good chance of getting a really strong scent. 

You’re the one that decides to ask what he’s thinking. 

“Pee,” he says simply, logically. 

“Yeaaaaahhh- no... That’s gonna be a hard pass from me.” You reply almost immediately. The 3 boys looking at Deaton as if he’s grown a third head. Before either of them can argue, though he’s put up his hand and pointed out that it’s the easiest way to get her scent. 

Isaac turns to you and you shake your head before he can even asl.

“Nuh-uh. Don’t you give me that look! I already stuck my muzzle into all kinds of places trying to catch a good scent. Besides, I told you that I can’t seem to get a specific scent down, everything is very generalized right now. You need to go with Scott.” 

Isaac opens his mouth to either argue with you or try to convince you but Scott cuts him off. “We’ll both go. But, we better go soon. Knowing Lydia, she’ll probably get something set up for tonight.”

Isaac doesn’t seem too happy about it but agrees without further argument at that. 

It’s after Deaton explains to the boys how they’re going to find the pee that Stiles’ phone goes off. After he checks it, he says “Lydia says she can get Ethan and Aiden to meet us tonight. You guys hurry up, I’ll go pick her up.”

Deaton gives Isaac and Scott each a vial and the four of you make your way back outside. Stiles’ phone goes off and he stays back a minute to talk to whoever it is. It’s once you’re actually outside though, that you and Isaac both remember that you had ridden here with him. 

“Umm.. guys… I need to get this one back to the school.” he says, his voice somewhat apologetic. 

You shake your head at him, “No, you need to go help Scott.” 

Isaac looks at Scott who looks at you and then at Isaac and he looks frustrated at the situation but seems to understand where Isaac is coming from when he nods his head, “Yeah.. get her back..”

“It’s fine you two. Isaac, go help Scott with this pee business.”

“But -”

“Natasha”

“You guys,” you interrupt them at the same time that Stiles is calling for Scott. Scott looks like he wants to argue with you but decides that whatever Stiles needs right now is more important. He moves towards the brunette who is now outside the building. 

Turning to Isaac you remind him that you have two working legs that are very capable and Beacon Hills has a bus you can take back to the school. 

“Natasha” Isaac practically growls, “the school is on the other side of town.”

“Well then, it’s a good thing I’ve got these.” You say smugly as you snap out the claws on your left hand. When he still looks worried, you allow your claws to recede and take his hands in yours. “Isaac, I promise.. I’ll be okay. I can take care of myself. Besides.. What’s the worst that can happen?’

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because Isaacs eyes widen and a fraction of a second and it’s not till he’s calling out for Stiles that you realize his heartbeat also picked up. 

Stiles hears Isaac calling his name and doesn’t even to bother to hide the annoyance on his face, “Look wolf boy, if you even think about -”

“Can you take Natasha back to the school to get her bike?” Isaacs cutting him off with an actual plea in his voice. He’s shocked to say the least and watches as the said girl quickly turns around to face him. 

Stiles is still trying to get past his shock but was able to make out that she planned on walking back to the school, “Wait you’re gonna walk?”

“Yea, why wouldn’t-”

“Nope! Get in Roscoe, you’re not walking. It’s on the other side of town.”

“Werewolf! Remember?"

“Don’t care... I’m taking you. Now either you go willingly or I throw you in the backseat.”

She’s glaring at him as if he’s done something wrong and he crosses his arms in front of him, returning her glare with a stare of his own. “You don’t scare me little werewolf.”

Stiles sees her flash a fang at him and he merely raises an eyebrow in response before Isaacs pulling her attention. The two are arguing In hushed whispers before she throws her hands up and huffs. Isaac merely smirks at her before she turns her back on him and makes her way over to the trusted jeep. 

He rushes ahead of her to get the passenger door open and opens the passenger door for the irritated girl. She looks surprised for a fraction of a second before nodding her head and getting in. Closing the door behind her, Stiles makes his way to the drivers side and they’re on their way. 

While they drive through Beacon, Stiles is trying to think of something to say to the girl beside him as they make their way back to the school. Scott had asked him to at least make an effort with the girl and he had to admit that she had been quite helpful today. He goes to start a conversation a couple of times before finally settling on something, “So, how do you like Beacon Hills so far?”

Her dry chuckle makes him glance in her direction, and he sees her staring out the passenger window. He waits for her to answer but she doesn’t and maybe it’s because he hasn’t been sleeping or it’s because he’s gotta go face Lydia and be ok with her being so - infatuated, with Aiden and he’s kind of sore about it that he snips at her “You know, you can always leave if you want.. you don’t have to help us.”

“You - you stuck up nerf herder!! Who said anything about wanting to leave?! ” Out of the corner of his eye can see her turn practically her entire body toward him while still sitting in the passenger seat. 

“Stiles, has it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, It’s a bit uncomfortable for me to spend time around someone who has made it very obvious that he doesn’t actually like me? I haven’t done a single thing for you to dislike me and yet you still seem suspicious of everything I do. Hell, I’m still half expecting you to try and turn around this morning into me somehow being… evil!” She was gesturing with her hands and her voice had gotten loud in the end, as he was actually bothering her. 

Stiles immediately recognized the reference and was surprised that she knew it, let alone made it. But, what bothered him was that she felt that he didn’t trust her. Debating with himself for a moment, he chooses a course of action.

“You know, that line is actually ‘ you stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!’”

The laugh that leaves her lips is nothing like he’s ever heard before. Not only is it infectious but it settles something within him and before he realizes it, he’s laughing with her. 

It takes them a few minutes to collect themselves but she’s smiling at him by the end and he thinks to himself, it’s a smile that lights up everything around her. 

“You got that?”

“Of course! You didn’t think that you could quote Leia at me without me realizing it did you?”

“Stiles, from what I can see, you are definitely not scruffy looking and you definitely aren’t half-witted.” She says and he can’t help but sit a little bit taller.

The two of them spend the rest of the drive to the school, which really was just a few minutes, talking about Star Wars and Stiles is excited at the prospect of having a friend that will finally understand and appreciate his many references that Scott never seems to get. 

Once they get to school, he puts Roscoe in park and is quick to jump out while she gathers her things. He pulls her door open for her and she looks at him in surprise before her brow furrows and she’s tilting her head to the right in confusion. 

“What?”

“Nothing - it’s just that there have only ever been four people in my life who make sure that they open doors for me. Considering three of them i’m related to it’s just surprising to have someone else do it.”

Stiles can feel the flush on his cheeks as he stammers, he’s going to defend himself but she places a hand on his arm to steady herself as she gets off the car, 

“It’s not a bad thing Stiles, it’s just .. unexpected. You guys be careful with whatever you do with Lydia and the twins alright. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Stiles nods his head and watches as she gets on her bike. As she’s about to put on her helmet he calls her name. When she turns to him, he says “May the force be with you, Padawan.” 

“I think you’ll need it more today.” she chuckles and he watches as she rides off for just a moment before his phone is ringing and scares him half to death.


	9. Chapter 9

Getting to the loft, had put away your stuff and changed into a pair of leggings and a loose tank top before you took to the the punching bag Derek had. You were mentally exhausted and ready to go bed but your body was jittery. So, you pushed yourself, you went after the punching bag for a little while before doing some full body exercises using just your body weight.

It was after you’d completed the work out and felt you may actually get a chance to rest that you had sat down with your dinner and were going over some of your research from yesterday, trying to figure out if you could actually find your idiotic cousins. From what you could tell, it looked like they had headed down towards Mexico which would have been completely idiotic.

As you were pouring over the papers, the doors to the main room had slid open. A growl escaped your lips as you jumped up from your seat, transformed into your were You weren’t sure who was coming through that door and you were scolding yourself for not locking it behind you.

“What are you doing here?” you growl at the two figures that enter, “If you’re here looking for protection, you need to go. We can’t protect you from the amount of people you’ve screwed over.” 

“We’re here to help.” Ethan says simply, his brother coming to stand behind him.

You look at them confused for a moment before realization floods your brain. Stiles had said that Lydia was able to get something together for tonight.

“And how exactly do you plan on doing this?”

“He has to stop being afraid of it.” Aiden replies as if it is the most obvious thing in the world

You suspect you know what it is that’s he’s hinting at and raise your eyebrow at him, “What do expect will happen if you can get him to change but can’t get him to change back?”

“He’s a True Alpha. He will be able to control it.” Ethan said, sure that he was right.

Huffing you cross the room to the twins, “You’ve put a lot of trust in him.. Why?”

“He’s earned it. Plain and simple. If you stick around it’ll make more sense to you.”

The alarms go off you and you turn to the monitors, “Well boys, it seems that we have just a moment to get your plan going.” Your skin is itching and you want to fight against the twins, at the very least try to argue with them against the idea of fighting Scott but there’s no time now.

Both boys move to opposite sides of the door and move back towards the table you were working at just a few minutes ago.

The doors slide open a second time and you see Lydia walking in. Her eyes glance right over you and behind her are both Stiles and Scott. Stiles’ face is filled with confusion as he takes you in. He looks like he’s about to ask you a question but before he can say anything, Lydia is asking about the twins, saying they had agreed to meet her there.

Crossing your arms, you shake your head, “For the record, I think this is a shitty idea.”

No sooner are the words out of your mouth that Ethan and AIden are punching Scott on opposite sides of the head and they are throwing him into the room.

You make your way towards Stiles and Lydia, who are moving towards a gated area in the loft you’ve yet to understand. There’s already a frustration in the room and anxiety begins to roll off of both Stiles and Lydia in waves and it’s got you jittery and on edge.

You’re watching the twins effectively toss Scott around like a rag doll. You’re so engrossed in the scene in front of you that you’re startled when a hand grabs your arm. Turning, you look at Stiles. There’s both confusion and annoyance on his face.

“What are you doing here?” he whispers somewhat harshly at you, his voice sounds almost - concerned?

“I live here..”

Stiles looks like the thought itself had never occurred to him and he’s annoyed at himself that it did not. You’re about to ask him where he thought you lived when you hear a particularly pain filled grunt fills the air. You both turn your attention back to the scene.

“You think this will actually work?’

His silence is all the answer you need. Watching the twins go at Scott you’re unsure if you admire Scott or not. With each punch he takes, the atmosphere in the room becomes more and more tense and your control is beginning to slip.

Scotts on the floor, bloody, when he finally speaks. His pained words directed to the twins, “I thought you guys were gonna teach me to roar.”

“We are. You do it by giving in.”

“Giving in and letting go. That’s how Deucalion taught us control.”

At those words, your own control almost evaporates. You know the stories, what kind of letting go Deucalion required and you’re disgusted that that’s the method they’re going to use to teach him. You’re about to go take a bite out of the twins yourself while Stiles’ voice distracts you

“Hey, you know that’s funny. I actually tried something just like this one time using heart monitors and lacrosse balls.” You turn to look at Stiles and this time, you have your own look of shock painting your face but he pays you no mind, “But you’re right, beating the living crap out of him is probably better.”

“That’s actually the plan? You kick my ass?”

“Wait, did no one really tell you this was even a possibility? I told you it was a shitty plan..”

“He’s afraid to turn.” Aiden reminds you “we’re gonna make him turn.”

“I’m gonna make you turn in a second.” you grumble under your breath.

Ethan is now taunting Scott, “You turn, then you kick our asses.”

“Then you roar.”

Aiden lets out a threatening roar and a threatening snarl works its way out of you. You wait till his eyes are on you before you practically launch yourself at him. You’re going to take a chunk out of him, damn the consequences, when a hand grabs you. You turn around, ready to rip Stiles arm off when your eyes land on Lydia “You need to let them…”

“He’s right Natasha this -”

“Do you really think i can’t tell how much neither of you want this? You’re both cringing at the sight of this and they may actually kill Scott before they’re able to force the change.” Your voice is thick with barely controlled restraint, frustration and rage evident.

On the other side of the room, Aiden is taunting Scott “You’ve got to be the monster. Become the beast. Become everything you’re afraid of.”

“That’s what gives you power. It gives you strength.”

You don’t disagree with the basic philosophy. You grew up with your wolf, had always known the three parts of you to be you. It’s got to be different for Scott psychologically. But the twins’ delivery really makes you want to use them as a chew toy.

As the twins continue to taunt Scott, they decide to bring up Peter. At your cousins name, you issue a warning growl. Sure, your cousins an ass but he’s still family.

Aiden somehow manages to flip Scott onto his back and just goes to town on the boys face. You want to go stop him but Lydia’s words mean you remain rooted to the spot. Ethan turns to look at Lydia, Stiles and then you before looking at his brother. It seems that when he turns to his brother, it occurs to him exactly what is going on. Reaching out, he stops his brother.

The rest of the room waits, holding their breaths, to see how it is that Scott’s going to react. As he pulls himself up to a sitting position, Lydia is the first to him and help. You make your way to the kitchen area and wet some rags before going back and helping Lydia clean Scott up.

It’s as you’re helping clean the blood off of him that Lydia asks, “You think you got it?”

Scott merely shakes his head, “I don’t know..”

The room remains silent, the atmosphere heavy as everyone wonders if this had helped out.

You offer to let them stay the night and, looking at the time, they all take you up on that. Setting up Isaac’s room and Derek’s room for people to split, it occurs to you that Derek won’t appreciate a new scent in his bed. You tell them to take yours and Isaac’s for the night.

After making sure that everyone’s at least got a blanket and a pillow, you shower and try to get some sleep. Derek’s bed, though, isn’t nearly as comfortable as yours and while you’re tossing and turning you hear startled screaming from Isaac’s room.

Getting out of bed you run out of Derek’s and end up running into Lydia. The two of you share a look and then you rush into the room. The twins are seconds behind you. It seems, in the chaos of the evening and your exhausted state, you had forgotten to inform Isaac that there was a whole gaggle of people at the loft.

It takes a few minutes to get the boys to calm down but, eventually, they do. The groups try and figure out how to rearrange themselves. Of course, Aiden offers to go with Lydia. You threaten him with disembowelment if his scent is anywhere near your bed. In the end, you decide to have Isaac sleep in Derek’s bed, he’ll piss him off the least and you go back to your room with Lydia.


	10. Chapter 10

You were sitting on the small terrace, watching the sky change colors as it prepared for the sun rise with a warm cup of coffee in your hands. You were never much of a morning person, but if these nightmares had anything good, it would be this. The scene in front of you was perhaps the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

You wondered about the conversation you had last night. After everyone had gone to whatever room they were going to occupy for the night, you and Lydia had stayed up for a little while longer trying to figure out the best way to go about tomorrow. She had asked if you’d be willing to track Malia and you had to tell her that you were only able to get general scents but were having a hard time actually locking in on a specific scent to be able to follow it. It’s Lydia that suggested using your hearing instead and you could have kicked yourself for not thinking of that. It was such an integral part of you.

You and Lydia had talked about it and figured it would probably be best if not all the wolves in the vicinity were chasing a coyote. Were or not, if Scott was having a hard time controlling his own instincts a group chasing down the poor thing may very well turn into a hunting party. 

The two of you figured it would be best if, as a group, you all paired off. In order to try and keep the wolves from hunting, Lydia figured it would be best to be one wolf with non-supernatural person. You’d had to remind Lydia that she is technically considered supernatural. The idea the was to leave Allison with Isaac, Lydia with Scott and Stiles with you. She’d also asked you about the purple of your eyes and you had no answer for her so you simply said it was a family trait.

It’s as you’re sipping the last of your coffee and wondering just what the world has coming their way that the doors open. You don’t bother to look over, already knowing that it’s Isaac

“You really should be asleep, you know.”

You offer a weak smile without looking at him, “It’s been kind of difficult lately.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that both Derek and Peter are missing?” he asks as he’s handing you another mug of hot coffee.

Setting your empty mug down, you take the drink from him and wrap both hands around it. Inhaling the scent of the hazelnut roast, “Honestly, I thought I had. I swear, with everything that’s been going on though, I must have just imagined having the conversation.”

He sighs and comes to sit next to you.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs softly, “If I had known, I would have come over more.”

“It’s fine, you were here most nights anyways… Wait how did you not notice they weren’t barging into the room after you?”

Isaac looks a bit sheepish before saying “I just assumed they were ignoring you…”

He looks so serious that you can’t help laughing, “Isaac, my cousins may be… difficult… but they’re not gonna just ignore screaming nightmares.That’s kind of hard to do.”

There’s a pause, almost as if he’s not sure he should ask but soon enough, Isaac is asking if you really think that saving Malia is going to help them.

“You want an honest answer?” at his nod you shake your head, “I’ve got no idea… all I know is that a nemeton is supposed to be a sacred place. I can’t help but wonder if somehow this nemetons been corrupted. In the past, when a sacrifice was made to the nemeton, the Druids would choose from volunteers. It was considered an honor. At least, that’s what my dad used to tell us. The sacrifices here, they had no idea why they’d died. What if it twisted the magic somehow?”

“Well, how would we know if it had?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

He sighs heavily, dragging a hand across his face and through his hair, “So this may not even work.”

“But Isaac, isn’t it better to try? Even if this doesn’t work, they’re going to feel better about trying. If they don’t succeed… well it’s not like it can get any worse.

I know you’re worried about Allison and Scott and, to a lesser extent, Stiles. So why not at least try?”

He nods his head and is silent for another moment, before - “Do you think it’s one of them? Or that it could be?”

“I don’t know.. Maybe? But honestly Isaac, I’m not going to put my life on hold trying to figure out who it is. The pain is manageable and it’s not like there’s much I can even do. It’s not like I see them and I suddenly know who they are.I still have to get to know them..”

“Scotts good people ya know..”

“You saying that cause you think it might actually be him or because you want to be able to date Allison and not feel guilty? He seems nice enough, but he’s not really my type. Besides, I think he’s interested in the new girl, Kira. Haven’t you notice his heart race pick up just a bit each time that he talks to her?”

Isaac shakes his head and you playfully shove him, telling him that he really needs to work on actually using his new abilities.

The sun has risen over the city and it’s slowly coming alive. You and Isaac stay out on the terrace for a little while before it’s time to head back in. Isaac will be going to get Allison and you will be staying here to work out the plan with his friends.

Later that afternoon, you join the McCall pack in the woods not too far from the Tate house. Everyone’s on edge and there’s a moment where Lydia questions if what you’re all doing is more bad than good. You stay quiet, not because you agree but because this isn’t an argument for you to be a part of, it’s a family matter. Scott, however, is making it something positive and Isaac and Stiles begin to bicker.

Ignoring them, you drown them out and try to focus hearing what’s going on in the woods around you. You hear Stiles dad calling for Tate and then there’s the sound of something crashing.

“Hey guys-” you begin but there’s a gunshot ringing through the woods that makes you flinch back.

Scott jumps on his bike, calling for Lydia who doesn’t seem to hesitate before she’s on the bike with him and they’re taking off. Isaac and Allison are paces behind them.

Stiles is trying to get everyone to wait and so you clear your throat, reminding him that you’re still here when he turns to face you. He lets out a frustrated huff before reaching into his pocket and calling his dad.

Cell phones have too much going on with them for you to want to try to make out what the Sheriff is saying but Stiles looks confused as he begins to pace.

“It took the doll again?” he turns to look at you while asking “What the hell is so important about this doll?”

Stiles is still on the phone when suddenly something occurs to him,”It’s the doll” he says assuredly as he hang ups the phone before second guessing, “It’s the doll?”

There’s more gunshots and you begin to worry that Allison or Isaac could be getting shot, you move to go after them before you remember, you could trigger a hunting party and you said you’d stay with Stiles. So you stop your forward movement and settle for pacing between the trees. Taking a deep breath you try to focus on Stiles’ words, this doll means something. The gunshots however, are making you more and more nervous.

“Alright but why would it go all the way to the school and then all the way back to the house just for a doll? One that was in the car in the first place. We didn’t find it in the coyote den”

Hearing another gunshot you snap at Stiles “I was there Stiles, I know it wasn’t there.. Look it just likes the doll-”

“Yeah, it likes the doll alot.”

You rub your temples for a moment, trying to focus on the situation in front of you and not the fact that your friends are running towards bullets. “Wait, what kind of doll is it Stiles?”

“It’s a - I don’t know. It’s a doll, you know?” He huffs, “It’s got little arms,a big baby head and dead, soulless eyes. Actually, I took a pic,” says as he reaches into his pocket and stands up. A moment later, he’s handing you the phone. “Here.”

You look at the picture, the girl in the blue jacket is on the right, sitting with a younger girl with red jacket. She’s the one that’s holding the doll. “Stiles, she’s not the one holding the doll. How many people did you say were in that accident?”

Stiles takes the phone back and looks at the picture again, “That’s Malia’s younger sister. So it was her doll.”

He continues to stare at the picture and you’re struck struck by the memory of taking your mother’s favorite blanket to her grave when Stiles is looking at you.

“What?”

“I know where she’s going.”

Suddenly Isaacs screaming and you’re running towards him when Stiles grabs your arm and pulls you back

. “Natasha! You can’t go, he’s going to be okay.”

“You don’t know that Stiles, you he could have been shot!”

Stiles pulls you into his arms, his chest against your back and he’s wrapped both arms around your, “I promise he’s going to be ok.”

You had decided to listen to your instinct and trust these people you remind yourself. You have to latch onto Stiles, your hand gripping his arm, and take deep breaths in order for you to actually do it. It takes a couple seconds but you nod. Stiles makes sure that you’re okay before the two of you are making your way towards the site of the crash.

Stiles is on his phone, apparently leaving a message for Scott and you end up trailing just a little bit. You’re slightly on edge and you keep telling yourself that Isaac and Allison with both be okay. You’re not really paying attention to your surroundings, knowing that you need to get to the accident when suddenly your foot lands on something that makes you freeze.

Looking down your eyes fall on a bear trap and your foot is smack dab in the middle of the pressure plate. Shit. Isaacs scream suddenly makes sense. You could step down and allow the jaws to snap on your legs but to be honest you’re not sure how well you would heal or how quickly. You’re voice comes out panicked when you call Stiles’ name.

He doesn’t seem to notice as he turns to you but he sees something on your face, panic you assume, and he looks at the ground, his eyes landing on the bear trap.

He walks slowly towards you and you’re trying not to twitch on the plate. There’s a squeaking sound and you call out his name again, terror lacing your voice this time.

“Natasha… don’t move.”

“Wasn’t part of the plan…” you snark at him, terrified about what this thing may actually do to you. “Stiles- look for a warning label.”

“A warning label?”

“Instructions on how to disarm it.”

“Natasha, why the hell would they put instructions on the bottom of a trap?”

“Because animals can’t read.”

Stiles nods his head and kneels down. You try to focus on staying still and not breathing too fast, afraid you’ll trigger the trap. You can see Stiles moving around and it feels like a lifetime later before he speaks-

“Ummm… Tasha… we got a problem.”

You can only whimper as you risk turning your head to look at him. He’s looking up at you and his eyes meet yours

“I can’t read either..”

Because of course whatever the nemeton is doing is going to be worse when they’re trying to help. But, this is Stiles - he’s the one that’s been piecing together everything from what you’ve seen.

“You don’t need the instructions,” you dismiss. He looks at you, confusion written on his face and you continue on. “I’m willing to bet you’ve never used the instructions to anything in your life. You don’t need them because you are too smart to waste your time with them, okay?

You can figure it out. Stiles- you’re the one who always figures it out. So you can do it. Figure it out. “

You stay still, watching as Stiles finds a valve of some sort. He looks at it for a moment and you hold your breath. He asks if your ready and you give a small nod, he turns the valve and you jump off the plate, you end up practically falling on top of Stiles and arm around his neck, you grab his jacket with your opposite hand. His arms wrap around you and the jaws of the tramp snap together.

You’re breathing heavily and let out a slightly hysterical chuckle. You can feel the soothing circles that Stiles rubs across your back and you’re able to calm down.

Stepping out of his arms he lets you go and you thank him. The two of you begin to work your way towards the crash again when a roar is heard throughout the woods.

Scott was able to do it.

Later that night, after you had checked on Isaac who was healing up just fine you had decided to check in on the others. You found yourself at Stiles’ house, figuring Scott and Lydia would, also, be here. You had brought over popcorn and the Star Wars prequels, figuring they may need some time to just unwind and that it would be a nice gesture that they might like.

As you stood there, you realized that you could distinguish individual smells. Taking a deeper inhale, you realized that you could make out distinct smells and not just generalizations. Only stiles was here. He invited you in and the two of you sat in his living room. You gave him the popcorn and movie anyways, thanked him for earlier that day and when he had asked why you were so sure that he was going to be able to get you out of that trap you merely replied that you just knew. You were going to leave, when Stiles surprised you.

“Hey, uhh” he started off as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I - Uh.. That is to say… Well I wanted you to know that - it’s, it’s not that I don’t like you…. You’ve actually been pretty awesome during all of this. It’s just that- well we’ve been hurt a lot. That’s not to say that you’re going to hurt us but- you know how sometimes it’s not that people just pretend to be something that they aren’t - Not that that’s what you’re doing it’s just that -”

He’s gesturing somewhat wildly and seems to be looking at everything but you so you put your hand on his shoulder. He stops suddenly and when he’s looking at you, you say, “Stiles- I get it. Maybe I was overreacting, it just kind of sucked that it seemed like everyone but you was ok with me being around.”

He smiles back at you and, pulling your hand back to your body and you rub your upper arm.

“Wait, are you cold?”

Before you can respond, he’s already jumped over the couch, practically killing himself in the process and is on his way up the stairs.

“Wait - Stiles” you call after him but he’s already gone.

A few moments later, he runs back downstairs with a blanket that he drapes over your arms.

“Thanks..” you murmur. You’re not sure what the plan is but Stiles quickly sets up the blu ray player and settles down on the couch. Smiling at him you get comfortable on the couch. The two of you watch the movie and then put in another, during which you fall asleep

-


	11. Chapter 11

You and Lydia were at the loft, working on homework that you had fallen behind on but it was almost 11 and Stiles was supposed to be picking you up soon.

“Lydia, we’ve been at this for hours and Stiles is gonna be here soon. Can we pick this up tomorrow?”

When Lydia smirks at you, you merely furrow your brows, your confusion echoing across your face.

“You like him, don’t you?”

“He’s been nice enough the last week or so,” you shrug nonchalantly. “Besides it’s nice to talk to someone who knows what it’s like to have just your dad.”

Lydia gasps, “Tasha - I didn’t mean to- “

You give the girl a small smile, “Lydia it’s fine. I was really young when she passed. And I mean it is a little different because we can still talk to her, it’s not always comfortable mind you but it’s an option,” you say with a small grimace. “It’s just nice to talk to someone who understands it, ya know? I would talk to Isaac about it too but he seems more uncomfortable with it. Plus he’s got everything going on with Allison..”

“They are cute together.” The redhead states mater of factly. You’re still not used to the sudden changes in conversation with her and so it catches you off guard for a moment.

You’re silent and then you realize that Lydia’s changing the topic. Smiling, you nod your head. “Right? I keep telling him to just go for it. I’m sure that Scott won’t hold it against either of them.”

“Hmmm- I think it’s more Allison holding back that it is Isaac and at least he’s respecting it.”

‘Well hopefully one of them figures it out sooner rather than later.”

“So, what are you and the boys gonna be doing tonight then?” She asks as she begins to put away her things and you realize that Stiles hadn’t said anything specific about tonight. Only that he plans for it to be epic.

“You know, i’m not entirely sure. Stiles just said it would have to do with coach.”

Lydia chuckles and advises you to take a change of clothing with you and your books for tomorrow before leaving. You’re confused about what she would mean by that but figure that she knows them better than you do and so you grab another outfit from your closet and toss it in your backpack. Checking your phone you saw that Stiles was gonna be at the loft in less than 5 minutes. You grabbed your backpack and made sure that the terrace doors were looked before you locked the front doors and made your way quickly down the stairs.

He’s pulling up and you’re about to open the door and jump in when he tells you to stop. You’re confused for a moment but he’s getting off the blue jeep and coming around the front to open your door.

“Stiles, you know you don’t have to open the door all the time.”

“Yes I do, they’re called manners” he says very seriously before his voice lifts in jest “you would know that if you had any.”

Before you can respond he’s closed your door and is already making his way back to the drivers side of the jeep.

“I mean, if you had manners I wouldn’t be up this late leaving the house, now would I?” you push back.

“Maybe… so why the backpack?”

“Lydia said to bring a change of clothes and my books when you pick me up.”

Stiles opens his mouth to argue but then shrugs, “Eh - good idea. Hey, when we get there, make sure that you grab the duffel bag in the back.” He continues to drive and you ask, what exactly the two of you are doing tonight.

“Mischief Night.” Stiles says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. At your confused expression, he begins to explain that, every year, the night before halloween, jokes begin to get played after midnight leading up to the actual trick or treating.

“No, i get that part. What i meant was, why coach?”

Stiles looks at you like you’ve lost your mind before answering, “Natasha!! Halloween is Coach’s birthday! How could you forget?! ”

“Stiles..” You say through laughter, “Did you forget that i haven’t even been here for 6 months?”

“Shhh, you should have known.”

“And how, exactly do you suggest that I should have known?”

“You should know everything Natasha, use the force!”

You shake your head at the brunette reminding him that that’s not how the force works. He goes to argue with you when the song Thriller, starts up on the radio. Smiling, you lean over and turn up the radio and begin to sing along, hand motions included.

At first Stiles refuses to join you in song but you poke his side a couple times and eventually he’s singing along with you.

“There you go!” you tell him as you both continue into the next song. The rest of your drive progresses in much the same manner, the both of you singing along to different songs and before you know it, you’re back at the high school.

Stiles pulls up into the a parking spot ear the locker rooms and gets off to open the passenger door for you. As he opens the door, he mutters something about Scott and pulls out his phone.

As Stiles steps off a little ways, calling Scott, you lean into the back seat and grab the duffel bag from the back seat. The moon, again, catches on something and you see an aluminum baseball bat on the floor. As you pull the duffel bag out, Stiles put his hand out and you handed him the duffel bag and the two of you make your way into the school building. On the way, you find yourself asking when the baseball season starts around here.

“No idea, why?”

“You have a baseball bat, I was gonna go watch… “ you trail off “Wait, so why do you have a bat in Roscoe?”

“For protection,” he says with a shake of his head, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“What do you mean protection?” you ask but are cut off by Stiles phone ringing. Stiles answers what must be Scott’s call because he’s saying,

“Get your ass down here now. We have a job to do.”

“We do this for coach.”

“Whatever, ok. You know he needs this. He lives for this stuff. Ya know? He loves it.”

Stiles is gesturing to you, indicating that Scott’s lost his mind and begins to open his locker.

“12:15 actually. Which means it’s after midnight and officially Mischief Night slash Day.”

The sound of a creaking door catches your attention and you turn to see Scott sneaking in the door, phone to his ear, while Stiles is playing with an electric drill of some sort. You go to call his name but he raises a finger to his lips, indicating for you to stay silent.

Stiles hasn’t noticed anything and is still ty8ing to get Scott down to the school. “…in five seconds, I will destroy you. Okay? And I mean five, four, three, two -” you let out a laugh when Scott’s the one to say one and startles Stiles with his glowing red eyes.

Stiles is on the floor telling Scott he hates him and sending you a scowl before Scott helped him up.

Under Stiles’ guidance, the three of you enter coach Finstocks office and bring everything down only to put it all back together al connected by one string. Stiles has you place all the screws and thumbtacks into a small gift box which he then set up so that it was connected to that one string and as soon as the box was opened, everything would fall.

By the time, you were all done the sun was out and school was starting soon enough. There’s not enough time to make it all the way back to the loft to get ready for the day.

“Guys, we gotta get going. The janitors gonna come open up the school soon.” Sott says as he helps Stiles pack up his duffle bag.

“Well do either of you care if I change at your place?”

Neither boy cares so you all decide to go to the closest house and it turns out that Scott’s house is closer. Stiles is going to have to borrow clothing from his friend.

Riding with Stiles, you pull up the McCall house and you all run inside. You run into the bathroom and quickly change. As you’re running out of the bathroom, you bump into Isaac and almost fall. Isaac helps you stay on your feet and the two of you make your way down the stairs.

“Hey stranger! How was studying with Allison?”

“It was good. Yeah… very- uh.. Productive” Isaac smirks at you.

“That’s gross… ” you say as you twist your lips in disgust. “I’m sorry i asked…”

Isaac just laughs as you get to the cars. He asks where your bike and helmet are at. You tell him that Stiles was actually the one that gave you a ride. You make your way over to the blue jeep and get into the passenger seat.

“So what did you three do to Coach?”

“Something to do with string. I’m sure you’ll hear about it before lunch.” you respond with a smirk and a smile on your face. Isaac raises an eyebrow at you and you just stick your tongue out at him.

A moment later, Scott and Stiles are walking out of the house. Isaac sees them at the same time you do and calls for Stiles. As Stiles turns his attention to Isaac, Isaac calls out says “Make sure you stop and get her a cup of coffee if you’re gonna keep her up all night!”

“Isaac!” you screech as you hit his chest. Scott is laughing and Stiles’ gaze is flicking from you to Isaac to Scott and then he’s pointing at each of you in turn, his mouth opening and closing as he tries to come up with something to say.

Isaac returns the smirk you had given him earlier before kissing your head and heading towards his bike. He has to pass Scott and Stiles on the way. As he passes Stiles he clasps the boy on the shoulder- a little roughly if his wince is anything to go by, before getting on on his own bike Scott, also, claps Stiles shoulders before making his way to his own bike.

Stiles stands there gaping at the two of them, you’re expression not much different. Stiles rubs his face, running his hands up through his hair before making his way towards Roscoe. When he gets in the jeep, he’s silent for a moment and you’re not sure what to say.

“So- wait, do you actually want coffee?” He asks as he starts the jeep and pulls away from Scott’s house. You nod your head and the two of you end up making a coffee run before school.

You an Stiles pull up to the school. Stiles is giving you a hard time about the amount of caffeine you drink. He gets off the jeep and comes around to your door. The two of you begin walking towards the school and you say,

“Can i let you in on a secret? I don’t drink the caffeine because I’m tired. I mean sure, that’s part of it but I’m a werewolf remember. When was the last time you saw any of your other supernatural friends drinking caffeine?” Stiles looks like he’s trying to think of a time he’d actually seen it. “It,actually, reminds me of my dad. For as long as I can remember, he has always had a cup of coffee in the morning. Says it’s just good business though I don’t know how for the life of me.”

“You’re homesick.” His voice is full of understanding and there’s not a trace of confusion behind it.

“Yeah, THOUGH, after being up for almost two days straight there’s definitely the element of ‘I really need this to not murder anyone.’”

Stiles is about to say something but is cut off by the sound of two loud engines pulling into the lot. Turning, you see the twins parking next to Scott. Stiles is already headed back in their direction and you begin to follow.

Ethans telling Scott that they’re just there to talk. You want to point out that it’s not actually something that they’re known for but this isn’t your fight to have.

Stiles, on the other hand, he’s a part of this pack. “AH, well that’s a change of pace for you guys. Usually, you’re just hurting, maiming, and killing.”

Aiden ignores him and continues with Scott, “You need a pack. We need an Alpha.”

“Because that went so well for your original pack. Or even your last pack” you mutter.

“Natasha’s right… So yeah, absolutely not. That’s hilarious though.”

Ethan sounds somewhat surprised as Stiles’ outright refusal and tries to reason with him, “You came to us for help. We helped.”

“You beat his face into a bloody pulp. That’s not helping. In my book that’s actually counterproductive!” Stiles exclaims while gesturing.

“Told you it was a shitty idea.”

Scott cuts both you and Stiles off from continuing by asking the twins “Why would I say yes?”

“We’d add strength. We’d make you more powerful. There’s no reason to say no.”

They’re not wrong, a larger pack means a stronger Alpha and you grimace at the thought. Suddenly though, there’s anger surrounding you. Looking around, you see Isaac waking up, it would seem he had been listening. “I can think of one. Like the two of you holding Derek’s claws while Kali impaled Boyd.” He looks at Scott, Stiles, and then you, “In fact, I don’t know why we’re not impaling them right now.”

Aiden growls at Isaac and you return the favor. Seeing Isaac take a step forward, you pray to whatever deity is listening that Isaac not commit murder in the school parking lot before the days even begun.

Luck, it seems, is on your side. Scott pulls Isaac back and points out that neither Scott or Stiles trust them and neither does he. As the boys walk past the twins, you watch Isaac shove the twins.

“Can you not start a fight this early?” you chastise your friend. The group of you are walking towards the building when one of the twins calls your name. Isaac freezes next to you and both Scott and Stiles turn to look at them.

“We mean no harm,” Ethan says and puts his hands up in surrender.

Looking at them then Isaac you nod your head and tell them to go ahead without you. Isaacs got to meet up with Allison anyways and Stiles and Scott have more important things to do than to babysit you. Neither of them looks very sure but you push Isaac towards the boys and they slowly start to walk away.

Staying where you are, you return to sipping your drink as the twins come closer. They begin to ask you questions, jumping back and forth, practically speaking over each other.

“Why does he trust you?”

“You’ve been here less time than we have.”

“Well..” you begin “I don’t know if Scott actually trusts me but Isaac does and Scott trusts Isaac it would seem.” Aiden opens his mouth to say something but you put your hand up “Nuh-uh… Whatever it is you two are thinking, I would stop right there. I’m not helping.”

“You said it yourself,”

“We’ve screwed over too many people.”

“We need the protection of a pack.”

“You guys brought this on yourselves, don’t go dragging me into it. Besides, even if I wanted to help, I have no idea how help you join his pack”

You give the boys a shrug, not letting them get another word in edgewise and turn around, walking into the school building.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so i am actually moving this over from another one of my platforms and in the process accidently missed uploading a chapter from the original platform. Please, please, please note that chapter 4 has been edited and is now longer (it is 2 chapters from the original platform) if you get a chance to go back and reread that it would be appreciated! (edited on 27 September 2020)

Meeting up with Lydia and Allison in between classes, you notice that Lydia’s normally perfect hair is askew and her lip gloss is smudged. “Well, someone looks like they’ve been having fun,” you tease the redhead and waggle your eyebrows at her.

A blush falls across her cheeks and she immediately begins to fix her hair. As she’s adjusting, Allison nudges the embarrassed banshee. “A certain bad boy werewolf is back at school and Lydia is going to enjoy the… What did you call him before? Oh yes, a Distraction.”

“Well, what would you call Isaac?” Lydia shoots at Allison. Her voice is cold, clipped and venomous, vanishing the humor off Allison’s face and she purses her lip.

Allison, however, does not take the bait and merely remains silent. When Lydia sees that she’s not going to be able to get a response from Allison, her gaze whips to you.

“Whoa, hold on-” you begin, putting your hands up in much the same way Ethan had earlier today.

She opens her mouth to tear into you and you’re not even sure who she could think you’re seeing when Isaac walks up asking about the police presence.It’s enough to distract from the tension among the three of you. Each of you look around you and notice that there is, in fact, a couple of men walking in with Mr. Suit himself and local deputies in uniform behind them.

“What is going on?” Lydia murmurs to herself as she knows none of you will have the answer. The four of you are looking around the hallways, trying to find some kind of clue when you find Stiles talking to his dad.

“Stiles’ll tell us in moment, I’m sure.” Allison says, having found the boy at the same time you had.

You all watch as Stiles and the Sheriff seem to be whispering between themselves. Stiles’ leg begins to bounce and as he finishes the conversation with his dad, his eyes are darting through the hallway. Seeing your group, Stiles is suddenly on his way towards you, “We need to get Scott, now,” he says without any preamble as he comes to stop in front of the four of you. There’s an urgency to his voice that no one questions and, surprisingly, it’s even enough for Isaac to follow along without any snark or sass.

As the group of you search for Scott through the hallways, Stiles informs you all of the conversation he’d just had with his dad.

It would seem that William Barrow, The Shrapnel Bomber, who had killed some kids on a bus using a homemade bomb a couple years ago had gone in for surgery and somehow managed to escape. He’d also told Melissa that the reason he had killed all those kids was because they had eyes that were just like yours.

“Wait, Barrow went after kids with glowing eyes? Stiles, your dad said those exact words?” you asked to be sure you were hearing him correctly.

“Yeah and no one knows how he woke up from anesthesia. Just that when they opened him up they found a tumor full of live flies. Which in any other circumstance would be all kinds of awesome.”

“Did you say flies?” Lydia cuts him off from continuing and you all stop to turn to her.

Allison calls her name and Lydia shakes her head before saying “All day, I have been hearing this sound. Its like- this buzzing.”

“Like the sound of flies?” you ask wanting so very much for her to say no but knowing there’s no point in wishing for that.

It’s a second later your proven right when she says “Exactly like the sound of flies.”

“We need to get everyone out of here now.” You tell the group. “The resident banshee is hearing flies and then we have a mass murder on the loose who just so happened to have flies pop out a tumor, it can only mean that death is coming.” You’re gesturing with your hands, trying to emphasize the severity of the situation.

“They’re not letting anyone in or out of the school.” Stiles informs your group, the nervousness in his voice starting to bleed through. “We need to find Scott.”

“And Barrow.”

No one looks very excited by the situation you find yourselves in and you don’t blame them. The five of you split up, looking for Scott.

You’re moving quickly through the halls, checking classrooms and bathrooms when a smell catches your attention. There’s a faint trace of blood coming from Coaches office and while it’s possible that Coach may have hurt himself, or gotten hurt by your prank, something seems off about the blood.

“Natasha!” you hear Allison call and turn, “They’re leaving!”

“What? Why are they leaving?”

“You tell me!”

Suddenly, you remember something Stiles said “They were gonna check the grounds right?” at their nod you say “What if they already searched but didn’t find him? We need to find Lydia”

“And Stiles.”

“Why Stiles?”

“So he can convince his dad to stay at the school.”

“Oh… yeah that’s a good idea.”

The two of you are rushing through the halls of the high school again, though this time you’re actually running. You catch sight of Stiles chasing his dad down the stairs. You make your way towards them and try to focus in on the conversation they must be having.

The first thing you hear is “Let’s go Stilinski!” from Mr Suit. He sounds annoyed and exasperated with whatever is going on.

This is not good.

“Woah! Woah! Dad, please just - Lydia said that he’s still here.” Stiles is explaining as you catch up to them.

“Wha- Did, did she see him?”

“Not exactly, no. Er well, not at all actually. But she has a feeling… A supernatural feeling.”

The Sheriff doesn’t looked convinced but if Lydia’s got a feeling, “Sheriff, he has to be here!” you blurt out.

Stiles looks surprised to see you and the Sheriff is asking who you are. You’re about to answer when Stiles cuts you off and introduces you. It’s in that moment that you realize that you haven’t actually met Stiles dad. Each time you’ve been to Stiles’ the last week, he’s been at work.

“Your names not on the chessboard.”

Having absolutely no idea what he could be talking about you’re sure you look like a goldfish as you open and close your mouth a couple times, all you can think to say is “I’m new in town.”

The Sheriff looks from you to Stiles and then to Lydia, who is standing near a classroom, before looking back at Stiles, “Lydia wasn’t on the chessboard.”

“She is now.”

The Sheriff sounds so resigned when he asks “Kanima?” that you not only question what he does and does not know but you correct him as well.

“Banshee…The wailing woman that can actually hear the world around them on a much different frequency than you or I. They’re actually really helpful to have around, the really strong ones are said to have powers that can manipulate our world as well.”

The Sheriff still looks lost and so Stiles steps in “I know how it sounds but basically it means she can sense when someone’s close to death.”

Stiles’ dad lets out a frustrated huff and growls at his son “Can she sense that I’m about to kill you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Not how that works”

“Look,” the Sheriff begins, “I’m not saying I don’t believe. But right now, I’m going with eye witness over Banshee.

We’re leaving a few deputies here. School’s on lock down till 3 o'clock, nobody comes in, nobody goes out.”

The Sheriff is walking backwards telling Stiles this and that it’s the best he can do right now.

“Leaving me here? That is.. That is not the best! That is the worst!” Stiles is nervous and anxious as he stands there bouncing on one leg.

Grabbing a hold of his arm, you lead him towards Lydia and Allison. As you go to find Scott, the smell of blood hits your nose again. Forgetting where you are, you try to take a deeper whiff to hone in on the scent only to be bombarded with all the different scents of the school at once. Practically gagging you begin to sneeze to try and clear your nasal passages the others give you an odd look.

“Something smells off…” you murmur as you continue to try and clear the smells out of your nose.

“That’s it!” Stiles practically jumps where he’s walking before rounding on you. “You can sniff him out!”

“I mean, I would need his scent but yeah, I should be able to.”

The next moment, Stiles is on his phone and making a call. You figure that it must be Melissa McCall based off what you can hear and that someone else has, already, thought of the scent thing as she’s just leaving the school.

The four of you run to find Scott. When you find him he’s giving Isaac, Ethan, and Aiden barrows hospital gown and prison clothing to smell. Aiden is the last of the three to inhale before he hands you the gown.

Aiden watched as Natasha takes the gown from him and lifts it to her nose. He turns to look at Scott but a second later he hears the girl mutter, “Shit!”

Turning to the girl, he saw that she was already running down the hall in the opposite direction. Isaac started to follow but Scott grabbed his arm.

“We need to stick to the plan,” Scott told the taller idiot, Isaac “She’ll be okay.”

It took Isaac a moment, glancing between Scott and the hallway that she had run down

“Lydia, Stiles, you need to get Allison out of the school. Allison, you need to see if the Beastiary has anything about this. Stiles, once you get her out, look for Barrow. As for us four, we’ll look for Barrow, start on opposite ends of the school and meet in the boiler room.” Scott motions for Aiden and his brother to head in the direction that Natasha had run down while he and Isaac go the opposite direction.

“Someone has to go after Natasha.” Isaac notes and Allison nods her head in agreement.

“We’re already supposed to be searching the side she ran off to. We’ll find her.” Ethan offers up and he agrees with his twin.

“If you touch one hair on her head” Isaac begins, “I swear, I don’t care what-”

“And have Derek or Peter come after us?”

“Or worse, her brothers or her dad?”

“Believe it or not we don’t have a death wish.” Looking at his brother, the twins head down the same hallway that Natasha had just gone down a few minutes ago.

Splitting up to cover more ground, Ethan heading towards the basement. Aiden finds the runaway in Coaches office.

“He was here?” she sounds confused and as he opens the door, she’s jumping back and landing in a crouched position.

“Lydia’s pretty sure he still is.” He says as he enters the room slowly.

He watches her roll her eyes, scoffing before she says, “No you idiot. Stop for a second and pay attention to what you can smell!”

Aiden takes in a deep breath there’s nothing there. Looking at the girl he merely shakes his head.

“Damn it! How are you not smelling this?!”

She walks out of the room and he follows perhaps a half pace behind her. He’s not sure what she’s following but he figures it must be whatever scent she thinks she has.

“How is that possible?” 

Natasha is moving forward a bit

“Damn it!” he hears her snarl, and she’s pacing further ahead of him “We need to find that scent.”

“Can’t split up.” he tells her and when she glares at him he says “We’ve been threatened should any harm come to you.”

“Fine.. But I meant what I said earlier, I have no idea how to help you get into Scotts pack.”

“You really don’t see it do you?”

“See what?”

“He’s already accepted you as part of his pack.”

She’s opening her mouth to respond when suddenly the fire alarm is ringing throughout the school.

As the alarm wailed through the building, you let out a sigh of relief, “Finally!”

“We need to get with the rest of the group.’ Aiden tells you and the two of you are running through the building meeting up with the rest of the group.

“Didn’t find anything.” Ethan reports.

“Not even a scent.”

“Actually- “ you begin and all eyes fall on you. “There was a scent but it just disappeared in the middle of the hallways”

“And you didn’t think to say anything when you ran off?” Isaacs growling at you.

“I wasn’t sure he was even there anymore Isaac! I’d first noticed it earlier when we were looking for Scott. There was no point in dragging everyone there when he wasn’t there.”

“It’s 3 o'clock so school’s over. If there was a bomb, wouldn’t he have set it off by now?”

“Does that mean everybody’s safe?”

Lydia’s not sure, for the first time since you’ve met her, she looks unsure of herself.

“So what do we do?”

Scott turns to look at you and asks “You’re sure the scent just disappeared?”

“I can try to find it again but -”

“Scott!” you all turn to see Mr. Yukimura headed towards you. “May i have a word?” he asks and Scott looks nervous but nods his head before heading over.

“There’s not much we can do right now…” Lydia says and it’s agreed that everyone is to check in with each other throughout the night and that they’re all to stay in groups.


	13. Chapter 13

One by one, Derek picked up his mother’s claws and placed them in the wooden cylinder. He was waiting for Peter to react in some way.

“You know, there’s always an element of danger to rituals, like this. I’m not particularly fond of them. Unless- they somehow benefit me,” and there it was. Looking up at his Uncle, Derek discovered the price for Peters’s help.

Scoffing he shook his head, “Isn’t it enough to help LIttle Wolf?”

Thankfully, Peter had the decency to look ashamed for just a moment before he schooled his features and shot back “You know, Talia was your mother but she was also my sister. Am I not allowed a little sentiment?”

Putting the box with his mother’s claws on the table in front of his Uncle, Derek didn’t say a single word. Peter would have to either help without the price or - Well Derek wasn’t sure what. He was pretty sure that because it was to help Natasha he wasn’t going to have to find a different recourse.

It took a few minutes and Peter was silent, looking back and forth between the cylinder and a spot near the front door. As the silence seemed to drag on, Derek began to second guess his assuredness that Peter would actually help just for the sake of their cousin.

“For Little Wolf then.” Peter’s voice was hard and his eyes were on the same spot by the door that they had been flicking to earlier. Derek was surprised when Peter reached out and picked up the cylinder and connected his fingers to the claws inside. There was a small, pain-filled groan the older man let out.

It took them just a few minutes to get things situated. Derek straddled a chair, his chest to the back of the chair and sat as straight as he could with his head held high to allow Peter as easy as possible access to his neck.

Closing his eyes at the stinging pain, Derek has to remember to breathe through the pressure. Breathing in, he focuses on the feeling of air filling his lungs and counts to 7 before breathing out and opening his eyes.

The world around him is suddenly extremely vibrant, colors and light are bouncing off the snow that blankets everything. It takes him a moment to focus on what’s in front of him but when he does, it surprises him.

There’s an old bearded man, dressed in tattered robes with a spear in hand, sitting with some men, women, wolves and pups, it’s obvious that the men and women are werewolves. Amongst the pups are a pair of ravens that seem to be playing.

“All-Father, thank you for the gift to my family, we shall never forget it.” A man says as he kneels before Odin. Odin merely smiles at the man who is kneeling before taking the staff in his hand and using it to force the man to raise his prone body.

“Your family has walked with me and my ravens for generations. I have seen the cruelty of the human men and women who do not accept you. So I have ensured that your mate will be equal to you. You will still have to prove that you are worthy of Valhalla or Folkvang. Remember my son, your mate is a gift. Should you not cherish them as the gift that they are, my Valkyries will not allow you entrance into Valhalla no matter how honorable your deaths may be. I shall speak with Freya to ensure the same of her realm.”

“All-Father,” one of the women called out, asking for Odin’s attention. When she received it, the old god smiled at her and she continued, “How will we know when we have met them?”

A twinkle shone in his eyes, “The further away from you are stronger the pain little one. Your entire body will burn if you are too far. As you get closer to them, the pain will subside, though the ache will be there. Should they get hurt, you will feel the pain in the same area. A way to protect them and help them. Because of this the gift will only present once you are adults, able to protect your mates.”

The group around the old god looked confused, and Odin gave a hearty laugh, the ravens letting out their own warbling chuckles “My little one, you want me to tell you that you will see them and know? That, I cannot know.. I will not burden you with the same type of mate that other pantheons have given their children. Each mate will be different and as unique as each of you are. Your wolf will be the one to know when it is time to find them. You will be pulled to your mate but you must know them before you know you are for each other. A person’s life cannot be held behind to await the arrival of one person.”

The man standing in front of the All-Father, crossed his right hand over his chest, a fist over his heart and bowed his head. As he raised his head a flock of ravens appeared out of nowhere and flew towards Derek, surrounding him.

Reading himself for a fight, Derek was surprised when the birds circle around him creating a cylindrical wall and then suddenly disappeared. He finds himself standing in the middle of a large hall with pillars on each side of him and a full moon shining through. He sees Odin with a woman in a blue cloth dress, there is a bronze sword at her hip and across her eyes a cloth that doubles as a blindfold.

The woman pulls the bronze sword from her hip and places it at Odin’s neck. The old god narrowed his eyes at the woman and she sneered at him,

“One of your mongrels has mated with one of my priestesses.”

Odin brought his hand up and moved the sword at his throat. “I don’t see how that’s a problem. She will have a strong protector, a worthy mate. She will never want for anything.”

“But she will leave my temple, will she not?”

“Why should she stay? You gave her the ability to see the truth behind an action. She’s not human anymore. Should she not go amongst other supernatural creatures?”

“So, she has no choice?”

Odin remained silent for a moment. “Themis…”

“No! Odin, she was mine and you have stolen her. You have ruined her! She had no choice! This is an affront to me. This is an affront to the rights of my children.” A golden mist began to roll through the room and suddenly Themis’ voice became booming, “I call upon the fates. From here forward, should one of the favorites of Odin ever find a mate, the mate will have the right to choose their own destiny and deny the bond that Odin demand be thrusted upon them.”

Odin’s eyes flashed and his hand shook with the rage that he felt. “You would tear them from their mates?! Do you know what would happen to them?! A mate is for life! Not a passing fancy to just be thrown away as so many of your humans do!” Venom dripped from the All-Father’s voice and he stepped towards the goddess, his voice dropping to a steady, deadly note. “Should they be denied, you have condemned them to a fate far worse than death.”

“You gave them this gift of yours, I have ensured that the gift not be abused ever again,’” she snarled at him as she faded away from the room.

A growl escaped Odin as he watched the woman run from what was in front of her. “My people are not cowards! They- “

The scene once again changed and in front of him Derek saw flashes of the wolves and there were blissful scenes of people that looked much like the men and women from that first scene he saw. There were weddings with blissful couples and dancing children. Moments in which a wolf would protect their family and moments of wolves playing with pups. Almost everything that he saw was made up of wolves connected to other wolves.

There was one picture, though, that stood out to him.

A group of wolves was on a wooden ship, all of them had bags under their eyes and looked as they had not eaten in months. They had landed on shores of white sand and clear waters. As he watched the scene in front of him, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks began to play in his ears. As if the moment in front of him was playing out in a speeded up version, he watched as the wolves met the native people. The groups were tense and the communication between them was stilted. Suddenly, a young child ran forwards and as he did, he transformed into his pup form.

The native people chittered amongst themselves for a moment before many of the men and women also transformed into wolves. Upon seeing this, the adults of the group that had washed ashore all changed into their wolf forms.

It was discovered that they could communicate in this form and again and Derek watched as suddenly the scene jumped to one of men and women communicating. The group that had washed ashore spoke the language of the native peoples and a blend of both customs seemed to in place, not that Derek recognized it.

Odin once again appeared before the group but this time there was also a man with him. This man had the head of a wolf and spiral twisted ornaments on his ears. Where his eyes should have been were only empty sockets. The two groups fell in to their knees in front of the men.

“My children,” the dog headed man began and the group of people whose families had lived in this strange land from the beginning of time looked at the man with reverence. “I see that you have met the Odinsons, you have welcomed them into your homes and within your territories. We have come to you grateful for the friendship and the community you have built. Let us have a feast!”

The groups shouted out in joy and many went to prepare for the coming feast. Odin stood next to the dog headed man and his children greeted him with happiness.

“I am glad to see that you are well. After being chased from your homes, you have remained faithful. I would like for you to meet, Xolotl. He is the father to these wolves. He is also the father of death in these lands.”

Odinsons all bowed their heads in respect to the god in front of them.

“Young ones,” the god, Xolotl, began, “I have seen how you have worked alongside my children. How some of you have been pulled to them and they have welcomed you into their hearts and their beds. I will offer you the same gifts and protections I give my own.”

The world around him cut to black. Derek looked around him and allowed the darkness to envelope him. Slowly the world came back into focus. He was back in his loft but the color was muted. Turning around, he noticed that Peter was not in the room and suddenly the stump of the cut down Nemeton was in his loft.

The light clacking of claws on the floor catches his attention and he turns to see his mother, in her evolved wolf form entering the room.

“Mom…”

She comes to sit on top of the Nemeton for just a moment before transforming into her human. As she transforms, a mist covers him and when it fades, she is covered in a white dress. Opening her arms she calls his name.

It takes him a moment to get past his shock but when he does, he is rushing into his mother’s arms. A sob escapes him and with tears, he apologizes to her. Apologizes for not being there when the fire razed their family. For not keeping Laura safe and letting Peter murder her. He apologizes for not keeping Cora out of Deucalion’s hands. Finally, he apologizes for not being an Alpha worthy enough to be related to his mother.

Through all of this mother merely holds him and rubs soothing circles into his back. She doesn’t say anything and allows him to air his grievances and his pain. She knows how much he needs to say these things.

When he is done, she pulls back and cups his face in both her hands, wiping the tears from his cheeks with her thumbs. “Oh Derek… my son… You have nothing to apologize for. Those things weren’t your fault. You had no idea that the fire would be set and if you had been there, you would have died with everyone else. Do you think I would want that? You’re sisters are both strong. Laura followed her suspicions and you know as well as I do that she would have never let you go with her.” She kissed his forehead and pulled him to sit on the couch that had just appeared, “I know you feel bad about Cora - but Derek, did you know she hadn’t died in the fire?”

“I should have known.”

“And how were you to know? Cora suffered, yes, but that was not your fault. She was taken by Deucalion and his pack. Believe me, I have already dealt with Ennis and Kali. And when Deucalion arrives, I will deal with him. You have made me so proud my son. You may have made some misguided choices but you did what you could to protect your pack and when it came to keeping your Alpha powers or saving your sister, you did not hesitate to give up power.”

He leaned his head on his mother’s shoulder, feeling very much like a small child once again and the two of them sat that way allowing the silence to envelope them as he took strength from his mother’s presence. 

The two of them then spent time talking. He discovered that, apparently, one of the gifts that Xolotl had given the Ragnulf family was that those that were mated were still able to communicate with their mates once they died. This apparently allowed the remaining mate to stay sane and raise any pups. The pups were also able to access the deceased parent though it did not come without its own sacrifices to be able to do so.

When he asked his mother how she could know how the world had played out, he discovered that this spirit world allowed the dead to watch the world around them. Sometimes, they were allowed to intervene but mostly they were only allowed to observe.

Derek learned that the Hale’s had long been the protectors of Beacon Hills and when he asks about his cousin he can see his mother stiffen.

“Mom?”

“Sweetheart, you have to understand, there is only so much that I can say. A lot of it is conjecture and the scales have to remain balanced.”

“Mom- she’s still in pain. She doesn’t react very often but I have seen her flinch at the pain or rub her arms or leg as if she’s trying to get the ache out. From what I just saw that’s going to be normal until she finds this person but - she has to scream herself awake at night. I’ve had conversations with her where we are talking and she’s suddenly a million miles away. Those weren’t things that Odin talked about.”

Sighing, Talia stands from the couch and begins to pace back and forth. “Did you see the second god, Xolotl?” at her sons nod, she continues “One of the gifts that he had given his ‘children’ was the ability to take on the pain of their mates. Whatever pain she’s feeling, she’s got the pain from the pull and her mate it seems.”

“Does she know who it is? And why would it start so soon?”

“No- I don’t think she does. But - Derek, whoever her mate is. We think that they’re going to be in terrible danger. We’re not sure what or how but it’s the only thing that we think may have the ability to trigger the Pull so early.”

“But how would she know that? Especially if she doesn’t know who it is?”

“She may not know but the fates would know. It may be a gift from Odin or Xolotl or even Themis herself to give her a chance to save them.”

“But, what if she can’t save them?”

“Then someone else must… Derek, all of this is conjecture on our end. We think this is why but we don’t know for sure. Do you know why she calls this a curse?”

“All she’s ever said was that she wants to be able to choose. And if whoever her mate is can choose someone else, well i don’t blame her.”

Chuckling Talia shakes her head “It sounds like her.” When Derek opens his mouth to retort, his mother holds up a hand, signaling for him to remain silent. “Derek, her family line is the only one we know of that experiences this type of soulmate. Once she finds them, it is completely up to them to accept or reject the bond. Acceptance is wonderful for everyone involved. If she’s rejected though - eventually someone will have to put her down.”

Talia refuses to speak further on the situation. Bidding her son goodbye, Derek finds himself back in the loft itself.

Peter wastes no time before asking “Did you see her? What did you ask her? Did she say anything about Little Wolf? Did she say anything about me?”-


	14. Chapter 14

The sound of someone tripping over a chair woke you up and you jolted awake trying to find the source of the noise.

“I’m okay!” Stiles called out as he picked himself up off the floor and then righted a chair.

Yawning, you stretched out your upper body before crossing your legs. Checking your smartwatch, you see that T had called you a few times, but when you see the time, you’re shocked. It’s almost 9, you had told Stiles that you were going to take a 10 minute power nap at about 4:30. Groaning, you apologize to the boy. At his hmmm, you continued “I swear I didn’t mean to fall asleep that long I’ve wasted so much…” you trail off as your eyes catch sight of the board Stiles had with pictures all over the place and interconnecting red string.

“Well, you surely didn’t waste any time…” it suddenly hits you that you’re looking at his wall and not the living room TV. Looking around, you see that you’re actually in his room. You feel the blood rush to your face and you look down only to confirm that you were, in fact, on his bed. “Stiles… How did I end up in your bed?”

At that, the boy in question freezes in place. When you call his name again, he turns towards you, his eyes darting around the room and a flush across his cheek. His hand, subconsciously, rubbing the back of his neck as he opened his mouth a couple of times.

The two of you sat in silence before Stiles finally said something, “Natasha- when was the last time you slept?” His voice is soft, almost like he was worried about you, not defensive, and while he was looking at you, he wasn’t making eye contact.

You found that you couldn’t actually answer the question as, when you thought about it, you weren’t sure.

“See? Isaac sent me a text saying NOT to keep you up all night with this Barrow thing.” He began practically stumbling on his words as he tried to explain “Well- he actually threatened to scalp me if I didn’t let you get any sleep. But seeing as how the guy has only ever asked me for help when it comes to you, I figured that meant you hadn’t been sleeping well. Then you were tossing and turning on the couch and I remembered the other day, you had fallen asleep on my bed while we were working on homework and you hadn’t moved at all and you had said you’d slept great. So when you didn’t wake up after like 45 minutes, I figured I would move you here and risk you maiming me if you woke up…” he trailed off at the end, almost as if he was genuinely worried you would have hurt him.

You can feel your cheeks flaming even hotter than before and, thankfully, Stiles seems to sense your embarrassment and turns back to the board he had been working on. You’re surprised that you had been so tired you hadn’t felt him move you and surprised that he hadn’t managed to kill the both of you with his clumsiness but you’re grateful. Mumbling a small thank you to him, you absentmindedly, begin to play with the yarn in your hands.

After a few minutes you realize that there are in fact four different colored yarns. This, you think, is the perfect excuse to move away from the awkwardness that had enveloped the two of you. “So, what do the different colored strings mean?” you asked Stiles as you watched him move a red string from a picture of Barrow to a picture of the high school.

“Oh they’re just different stages of the investigation. So like, green is solved, yellow is to be determined, blue’s just pretty” he says as he gestures towards the yarn in your lap. There’s something that niggles at the back of your brain but, choosing to ignore it, you ask what the red is for. “Unsolved.”

“You only have red on the board?”

He turns to look at you, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes, “Yes, I’m aware, thank you.” He turns back to the board and is playing with a marker in his hands. Well that’s one way to stick your foot in your mouth. Looking at the red strings and the things they all connect to you notice a picture of a fire alarm.

“Thanks for pulling the alarm today.”

“Oh, it’s no big -”

“Did you get detention for it?”

“Yup, every day this week,” he drawls out. Turning his head over his shoulder, he says “It’s okay though, we were onto something.”

“Even though we didn’t find Barrow?” your voice is suddenly very small to your ears and you feel like you have to fight the frustration that is building within you. Stiles notices and comes to kneel by the bed in front of you.

“But he was there Natasha… You had his scent.”

You shake your head “Stiles, I was the only one that could smell it and then it just- poofed into thin air like it never existed. Anyone he hurts from here on out is my fault.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit narcissistic?” he tries to joke with you, a lopsided smirk on his face.

“Stiles - I could have stopped him if I had just gone into coach’s office earlier. Instead, he got away. So no, I don’t think it’s narcissistic. I think it’s the truth.”

“Hey look,” he takes your hands in his, “Barrow was there. If you had gone into coach’s office you could be dead right now. You know it, you smelled him. I, for one, think that it’s a very good thing that you had not gone into coach’s office. And look, if you wanted to, I’d go back to that school right now and search all night just to prove you were right.”

“And why is that?”

“You trusted me, why wouldn’t I trust you?” he asks as he begins to play with the marker in his hand.

A scoff escapes you and you shake your head, “Stiles this isn’t a tit for tat kind of thing. If -” you’re interrupted by a sneeze and Stiles looks at you then the marker in his hand before something dawns on him.

“Get up. Get up now, we’re going to the school.” He says as he begins to move through the room. You get up and follow him. Getting outside, the wind makes you shiver as you go to get in the passenger seat of Roscoe.

Stiles notices this almost immediately and shakes his head at you “Where’s your jacket?!”

“Probably at the school, it was kind of a crazy day. Or did you suddenly forget the mass murderer?” you retort back as you get in the jeep.

Closing the door, Stiles runs back inside the house and is out a second later with a red jacket in his hands. He gets in the driver’s side and hands you the jacket, “Use this, I don’t want you to get sick.”

“You know it’s rare for a were-anything to get sick right?”

He just looks at you. Nodding your head, you shake out the hoodie. The number 24 is in white under his last name. “Is this your lacrosse hoodie?”

“Just put it on.” As soon as you put the hoodie on, he’s pulling out of his driveway and heading towards the school.

“So why are we heading to-” you were cut off by your phone going off again. Looking at it, you saw that T was calling again.

“Is that T?” The confusion is evident on your face as Stiles continues “I saw the name - which by the way, T is not a name it’s a letter. Anyways- I saw T’s name on your phone when I grabbed it after - moving you. There were a couple missed calls from them.”

By this time your phone had stopped and started ringing again. “Yeah, it’s T” you sighed, not sure you really wanted to talk to them. “He’s called quite a few times- do you mind if i pick up?”

You waited for Stiles to nod his head before sliding your finger across the screen and lifting the phone to your ear. “Hey T”

“Cariña?! Oh thank God you’re ok! I was worried about you.” His voice is filled with relief and you’re not sure what he could be worried about, the Barrow situation wasn’t in the news as far as you could tell and you had talked to your dad, assuring him you were fine.

“Why’s that?”

“Umm hello! Shrapnel Bomber loose in Beacon Hills?! I’m on my way.”

“Wait, how did you know that he’s even out?”

The silence on the other line annoys you and though you’re sure you know exactly how he knows, you wait for T to say something. When he doesn’t say anything you merely say his name.

He clears his throat a couple times and you can practically see his hand running through his hair as his eyes are darting across the road in front of him and his hands gripping the steering wheel. You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips and the small huff that leaves your lips has absolutely no bite to it.

“Well… I overheard your dad and brothers talking about it. And, I don’t think that they realized that -”

You had stiffened, after everything the two of you had gone through, he hadn’t- “Wait, when did you start going back to the house?”

“Oh- umm that’s kind of a recent thing. Ro wanted to catch up and-”

You don’t hear the rest of what he says as you cut him off, “So as soon as one of my brothers call, you come running? Tell me, is that because you know Ro is going to be an Alpha or -”

“That’s not what it is. You know that I wanted to talk to you but-”

“No!” you say a little more forcefully and Stiles, who had been hearing only your side of the conversation, gives you a confused look and you remember that you’re in Roscoe. Taking a deep breath, you let out a sigh, “Look T - I don’t wanna argue with you. But I am fine and I don’t need you to come. Just- go home T.”

“But Natasha…”

“I mean it T… just, please listen to me here. Turn the truck around and head home. I am perfectly fine…”

“Tasha…”

“No, T… just…please?”

You can hear him groan before he lets out a long suffering sigh. “Fine… But PLEASE promise me that you’ll reach out if you need anything.”

“T! We’ve been texting back and forth for months, I’m not hiding anything from you.”

“You didn’t say anything about this!”

“It literally just happened today and besides I’m fine! And I didn’t want you to jump in the truck for no reason!”

The silence on the other end of the phone makes you feel bad for a moment. Things between you and T were good for a long time but you had just grown apart in the months before the Pull began and you were grateful for the small blessings.

“Just- promise me?” he’s begging and you’ve never been good at saying no to his begging so you nod your head before realizing that he can’t see you.

“Okay, I’ve gotta go though. We’ll talk later?”

“Ok Bella…Cuidate.”

“Siempre.” you say softly, falling into old habits with him, and then hang up the phone. Sighing, you lean your head against Roscoe’s headrest and bring your hands to massage your temples

“You okay?”

Turning to Stiles you smile and nod your head. He worries that the call was something serious and you shake your head, telling him that it’s just someone checking in.

“Boyfriend?”

“Ex.”

He raises his eyebrow at you “You still talk to your ex?”

“Scott still talks to his ex… It’s not that weird.”

Stiles looks as if that hadn’t really occurred to him before and parks the old jeep. As usual, he opens the door for you and the two of you make your way into the school. As the two of you pass Coach’s office you stop and take a deep breath Barrows scent has now fully disappeared. Stiles has called your name and motions for you to follow him when you both come to the Chemistry class doors.

Looking around you, you realize that this was where the scent had disappeared earlier. Stiles walks in and heads straight for the chemical storage room. You let out a groan as Stiles walks into the chemical room.

“Isn’t that supposed to be locked?”

“Yeah, notice anything else?” He asked as he squatted down in front a set of racks and lighting up the different chemicals with his phone.

Seeing nothing that stands out specifically, you tentatively take a sniff when you realize your senses have pulled back, though the smell of chemicals is still strong. You let out a sneeze and Stiles looks at you as realization dawns on you. “That’s why they couldn’t find it… Female’s sense of smell is stronger… The chemicals would have overpowered Barrows sent to the boys. My senses pulled back to not kill myself…”

Looking around the room you see something that looks like shattered glass and some kind of thick liquid, pointing it out to Sties, he turns to light up the items. It is, in fact broken glass and a red liquid- blood.

“He was here. Performing very minor surgery on himself. You were both right.”

“And I let him walk out of the school. You know he’s going to try and kill someone. The question just becomes who?”

“That’s what we have to figure out.” he says and stands, quickly moving past you into the classroom. “We could spread out and start looking for… anything.”

As he’s looking for things, your eyes glance over to the board. There are three numbers written on the blackboard.

19

53

88

“Stiles?” You call as you lift your hand to point at the board itself.

“What are those?”

“I’m not sure…” you say as you step closer to the board itself. A moment later you hear Stiles on the phone, he’s leaving a message for Lydia to call him back. Pulling your phone out, you enter the three numbers but Google only gives you books, which is no help.

Stepping back, you continue to look at the numbers. Stiles’ phone is going off and he’s talking to Lydia. A moment later, the flash on his phone goes off as he takes picture of the numbers to send to Lydia. The flash reflects off the lamination of something and you look to see a periodic table.

“Hey Stiles- could it be atomic numbers?”

“What?”

“Atomic numbers, you know- from the periodic table.” You say as you point at the laminated table. “19 is potassium..” you recite from earlier memorizations of the chart. Walking back to the front of the room, you grab a piece of chalk and write the name next to the number 19. Searching for the others numbers you find them, “53 is Iodine and 88 is Radium.. But that doesn’t make any sense..”

“Sweetheart, what about the symbols?” Lydia’s asking over speaker phone and you practically jump out of your skin, having forgotten that Stiles was on the phone with her.

As your heart rate calms down, you look over to the table and write those down as well. “Potassium is K… Iodine is I… Radium is Ra…” Stepping back from the board Stiles says Kira’s name and the two of you are looking at each other.

“Lydia, we’ll be there in 10 minutes. Natasha call Scott.” Stiles commands and you’re both leaving the room, heading back towards Roscoe. Even as you rush, Stiles makes sure to open the passenger door for you. You’re trying to call Scott but he doesn’t answer. When he doesn’t answer the third call, you reach out to Kira. She also doesn’t answer. It’s likely that the two of them are distracted with each other and you don’t really want to think about what they may be doing as Stiles drives to Lydia’s.


	15. Chapter 15

After picking up Lydia, she and Stiles realize that they’re not actually sure where Kira lives.

“She doesn’t live too far from here, actually.” You say as you pull up her address in your phone. At the looks that Lydia and Stiles give you you shrug your shoulders, “What? I went over once. In case you hadn’t noticed we’re both new here.” You pull up the directions and it seems that Kira lives less than 5 minutes from Lydia.

Stiles drives quickly, following the GPS directions. As you pull up, you see Scotts bike and something on the floor. As you get closer, you realize that it’s Scott’s body on the floor.

“Stiles?!”

“Yea, I see him,” Stiles says as he comes to an abrupt stop. Before Roscoe’s even fully parked, you’ve jumped out of the passenger seat and are making your way towards Scott. As you get closer, you’re distracted by Barrows’ scent. Stopping, you don’t notice Stiles and Lydia pass you.

Stiles shakes Scott awake and Scott confirms that Barrow did, in fact, take Kira.

“Lydia, Scott have either of you heard from Allison or Issac?”

Both of them shake their head and you pull your phone out, dialing Isaac’s number. He picks up immediately, his voice laced with worry “Natasha?”

“We’re ok. Stiles, Scott, Lydia and I are all fine.. Look, Barrow took Kira and we need to know if you found anything out from the Bestiary?”

“No, Nothing. Just stuff about flies and the dead nothing else.”

“Damn it! Alright, thanks.” you hang up the phone and shake your head at the group in front of you. “He’s got nothing.”

Scott lets out a groan, “We have to think of something. He’s going to kill her.’

“Natasha, Scott- can’t you guys follow Kira’s scent?”

“There’s too much gasoline,” Scott says and Stiles turns to you.

“It’s here but Scott’s right. There’s too much gas and we wouldn’t be able to track it through the car anyways.”

Stiles turns to Lydia, “You heard the flies, right?”

“What do you hear now?”

Lydia looks toward the ground as if she’s trying to focus and a moment later is shaking her head. “Nothing, I feel like I can do this. But I don’t know what to do. It’s - It’s like it’s on the tip of my tongue and I don’t know how to trigger it!” She’s becoming visibly upset and you grab her hand. When she looks at you you squeeze it reassuringly.

“It’s ok, we’ll figure this out, Lydia…”

She nods her head before taking a deep breath. Pulling away from you she runs both hands through her long red hair as she says “I just… I swear it literally makes me want to scream!”

Stiles connects the dots before either you or Scott. “Okay, then scream.” When Lydia, doesn’t immediately scream, he says “Lydia, scream.”

She doesn’t hesitate the second time and lets out a high pitched scream… You and Scott both flinch and Stiles covers his ears completely. As the scream ends, Lydia almost seems relieved. You’re surprised that the sound didn’t set off any alarms or any of the neighborhood animals. No one says anything and a minute later, Lydia’s head is tilted upwards towards the sky, “It’s not flies,” she turns to the three of you, a look of certainty on her face. “It’s electricity!”

“Wait a second,” Stiles begins. “Barrow was an electrical engineer. He worked at a power substation.”

“What substation?”

This is a question that no one can actually answer. No one’s even sure where the substations for Beacon Hills are.

“Can anyone get me a laptop?” you ask the three of them as a thought occurs to you. Pulling out your phone, you send a text to T. He’s going to be able to find the information out the fastest, the boy has an uncanny ability to dig up all kinds of information.

**You: Need your help with something**

Lydia’s house is the closest. You check on Scott and ask if he’s ok to ride on his own. He seems a bit confused by the question and so you hold your hand out for his keys. “I’ll take the bike, go with Stiles and Lydia,” you tell the brunette and while you can tell that he wants to argue but he seems to figure that it’ll take longer arguing with you so he nods his head and heads towards Roscoe.

Feeling your phone vibrate, you look at the screen. Sure enough, T has already responded.

**T: What’s up?**

**You: Power substation in Beacon - how many are there?**

**T: Not sure - shouldn’t be too many though it’s a small town.**

**You: Need to know which one Barrow worked at. Do you at least know the company they use?**

Putting the phone in your pocket, you startup Scotts bike and follow Stiles back to Lydia’s house. Your phone is going off and you know that T is freaking out but you don’t have the time to argue with him. Thankfully, the drive back to Lydia’s seems even shorter than the one to Kira’s. Pulling up to her house, you pull the phone out and dial him.

As soon as the line connects, you say “I promise, whatever crazy is going on, I am not in any immediate danger. But there is someone who is and we need to save her. So, please T? I know you’ve already got the information for me.”

He growls over the phone and you have to wait a moment before he sighs and gives you the name of the power company that is responsible for Beacon. He then makes your night that much easier by giving you the address to the one that houses Beacons power grid. After thanking, him.

“Stiles!” you call out, when he pops his head out of the house you tell him you have the address.

“You sure?”

“Positive! Now let’s get going!”

He nods his head and calls Scott and Lydia while coming to you to get the address. As he puts it in his phone, you tell him that you’ll follow on Scotts bike. Pulling into the substation, you’re quick to jump off the bike.

Scotts not far behind you and you find that he’s actually pretty fast. You hear Stiles telling Lydia they need wait for the cops to come and you don’t blame him, the two of them would probably get hurt if they went in.

You make your way inside and a moment later, someone runs into you. They almost knock you on your face but there’s an arm around your waist suddenly that’s keeping you from falling. Looking at the arm, you realize that it belongs to Stiles.

Stepping out of his arm, you turn to see him with the same aluminum bat you had asked about not 24 hours ago. It takes a second for you to put two and two together, “That’s what you meant by protection?!” you yell at the brunette.

He seems confused by your outburst “Yeah, what did you think I meant?”

You’re about to respond when you hear Kira yell for Scott and then a loud crash. You watch as Stiles takes off towards the other end of the empty room and you follow after him.

As you enter the room, you hear Scott telling Barrow that he’s got the wrong person with Kira. You figure that he’s going to transform in front of the man and so you rush past Stiles. Whatever Scott did, Barrow has decided to ignore him because when you round, you see Barrow moving towards Kira. There’s something in his arm that looks like a hose with electricity jumping out of it.

Thankfully neither Barrow nor Kira have seen you and you think that you may be able to actually sneak up on Barrow. As he gets closer to Kira, you begin to speed up, running towards him when Barrows putting the hose to Kira and suddenly, electricity is flying through the room. You flinch and try to cover your eyes but the next thing you know, there’s a sharp pain coursing through you as the world goes black.


	16. Chapter 16

A groan escaped his lips as Stiles opened his eyes. Blinking, it took his eyes a couple seconds to adjust to the darkness the substation was in. Pushing himself up, he looked around to try and check on his friends and Kira. **  
**

He saw that Scott was checking on Kira as he scanned the room. He saw two bodies on the floor. His heart stopped for a moment, and he called for Scott as he ran to the closest body. The large number 24 in white told him exactly who it was and he dropped down beside her, terrified that the electricity had killed her.

Thankfully, the girl was shivering, which meant that she was at least alive. Shrugging off his jacket, Stiles lifted the girl’s torso up and wrapped her up in the material. As he moved to set her back down, a whine escaped her lips and he called her name.

When she didn’t respond, he adjusted her body and continued to call her name, gently shaking her. He watched as her brow furrowed and her breathing became heavier. Looking up, he looked at Scott then motioned towards Natasha, trying to indicate for his friend to work his wolf magic and take some of the pain.

Scott looked torn for just a moment before nodding and moving to kneel on the girl’s other side. Suddenly, though, she was letting out a gasping breath and pulling on his shirt as she pulled herself up. Almost instinctively, Stiles wrapped his arms around her. He thought he heard her whisper something but was distracted by the sound of sirens.

Groaning, you opened your eyes and looked around you. Honestly, it felt like you had been hit by a truck and you were surprised to find that you could actually move to sit up. As your eyes scanned the area you found that you were actually sitting atop the Nemeton- but you couldn’t remember how you had gotten there.

As you try to think back to what had happened, you hear hysterical laughing. Turning, there’s a flash of white fur going through a bush that catches your eye. Standing, you go to investigate it but as you near the bush, there is a large spider there. The spider is carrying a large, rectangular box and he holds it out to you. Curious, you reach out to the box but the sound of a high-pitched whistling distracts you. Turning, you see an eagle flying at you.

As the eagle gets closer, it becomes physically larger and you realize that it means to attack you. Trying to transform, you find that you cannot access your wolf and when you try to physically move from the eagle's path, you find that you are rooted to the ground so you watch as the eagle continues towards you and just as it pulls it’s legs forward, a whistling sound passes your ear and you feel the eagle's warm blood splatter across your face and the dead animal knocks you backward. Grunting, you stand and see that the eagle had been impaled by a golden spear. The spear is topped with wings and what looks like welded snakes and you’re confused because, why would Hermes try and protect you in any way?

Trying to figure out the spear, you hear Stiles call your name. The spear disintegrates in your hands but you barely notice it as you’re already trying to find Stiles. He calls your name again and it sounds panicked.

You make your way towards him when out of the corner of your eye, a flash of gold catches your eye. You go to investigate but then Stiles is calling your name again and the panics there again, so you run and find yourself back in front of the Nemeton. There’s a swarm of fireflies surrounding him and a Valkyrie is reaching towards him

You scream his name and suddenly, he’s directly in front of you and you’re wrapped in his arms. Eyes flicking around the room, you see Scott and Kira and you realize that you’re in the substation and that whatever it was you had just seen wasn’t actually here. You can feel Stiles’ heartbeat against your hand and the rising and falling of his chest that indicates that he is breathing. “Oh thank Odin…” you whisper against his shirt.

Feeling a hand on your shoulder, you turn your head and see Scott looking at you with worry and concern coloring his eyes. Shaking your head, you move to stand up. “I’m okay guys,” you tell them before asking Kira, “What about you hun? You’ve had a pretty crazy night.”

“Ummm- I’m okay. Maybe a little freaked out.” She says with an awkward chuckle. You move to step towards her but Scotts already put an arm around her shoulder and is soothing her.

A silence falls among your group and you’re not sure if you’re grateful for it or not but it’s not heavy. If anything, it feels relieved. The silence doesn’t last very long though before you hear a loud sound, it takes you a second to place it as the sound of sirens.

“Looks like we have company coming.”

After the cops had arrived and cleared the scene, they had taken your statements and then you were all headed to the station. Thankfully, they had let Stiles drive and this time, you went with him and Lydia. Kira joined you three and was silent in the backseat. You’d taken her hand, surprising the girl, and offered her a small smile trying to convey that you were there for her should she need you.

Once you had gotten to the station, you had all gone into the Sheriff’s office. You had sat on the arm of the sofa, which put you on Kira’s left with Scott sitting on her right. Lydia sat to your left and Stiles sat to the right of Scott. The five of you were talking amongst yourselves when the Sheriff came in quickly followed by Scott’s dad.

He nods his head at the group of you and before he can say anything, you’ve demanded to know why he’s here.

He says your name with a sigh and says “It’s my job to be here. Barrows my case.”

“So, what you’re saying is that he escaped on YOUR watch and almost hurt someone?”

You can feel people’s eyes on you and you’re sure that they’re surprised at your reaction but if it was this guys job to keep Barrow in custody and he didn’t…”That must mean you’re not very good at your job then.”

Next, to you, you hear Lydia’s sharp intake of breath. Scott is coughing like he’s choking on air and Stiles doesn’t even bother to hide his snickering. Mr. Suit just narrows his eyes at you - to which you return the favor.

He’s the first to look away and with a shake of his head, he leans against the Sheriff’s desk. “So when did you get there?” he asks the group of you.

“At the same time.”

“At the same time as who?”

“At the same time as me,” Scott says.

“By coincidence?” Mr. Suit asks and it’s obvious that he’s trying to get the boys to mix up their facts. He turned to look at you merely nodded your head in agreement to the boys’ statement.

“By coincidence?”

“What do you mean coincidence?”

“That’s what I’m asking you. The three of you arrived at the same time?”

Deciding to make Mr. Suit’s day just that more frustrating, you clear your throat and raise your hand and say “Oh I’d like to clarify that I was with Stiles already.”

“Doing what?”

“Your job apparently.”

Choosing to ignore you, the frustrated man’s gaze turns towards the other side of the room. When he speaks, he sounds annoyed, “So, again, the three of you arriving at the same time… Was that coincidence?”

“Are you asking me?” Scott asked as if he was genuinely trying to figure it out.

“I think he’s asking me.” Stiles plays along.

You go to open your mouth but Lydia beats you to it, “I think he’s asking both of you.”

“Okay let me answer the question.” Mr. Suit says, the frustration at your run around game evident in his voice. A second later, he realizes the wording is wrong and clarifies, “Let me ask the questions.”

He pulls his notebook out of his blazer pocket and while you can’t recall seeing him at the substation, it seems that he’s got all the information down. It definitely sounds kind of crazy, at the very least far fetched, but he has basically the whole story. Minus the supernatural banshee and werewolves, of course. When he gets through repeating the events you’d just told him he looks like he doesn’t like the story and you don’t blame him because if someone really helped Barrow escape and gave him the direction to kill Kira then you all have much bigger problems than an escaped murderer.

“How’d you know he’d take her to a power station?”

“Stiles figured it out, something about… What was it, Stiles?”

Stiles, for some reason, seemed a bit surprised that you were asking him to further elaborate. He scratched the side of his head before answering, “ Well, cause he was an electrical engineer. So where else would he take her?”

“That’s one hell of a deduction there Stiles.”

“Yeah, what can I say, I take after my pops. He’s in law enforcement.” Stiles smirks and points to Rafael. The Sheriff had to hide his laugh behind a cough but you don’t even bother trying to hide your snickering.

Once the Sheriff composes himself, he gives you a look that says to behave. At least, that’s the way your dad or Aaric would look at you and Ro when they wanted you two to behave. He tells Stiles to answer the questions and Stiles just says that you guys made a guess.

When Rafael turns his attention to Kira and Scott they seem surprised by his attention and you can smell Kira’s nervousness and Scott’s irritation. It sounds like they’re both lying about what they were doing but you notice that while their hearts are hammering, neither one skips a beat. Rafael looks skeptical, at best, when he turns to the Sheriff, “You believe this?” 

“To be honest, I haven’t believed a word Stiles has said since he learned how to speak.” Your exclamation of disbelief goes unacknowledged and Stiles looks completely unfazed by this information as the Sheriff continues, “But, I think these kids found themselves in the right place at the right time and that girl sitting there is very lucky for it.”

When Kira confirms that she did, in fact, remember the situation the same way, she asks for her phone and is advised that it is part of evidence so she cannot actually get it back.

The group of you are then dismissed, except for Kira who has to apparently fill out paperwork.

Stiles dropped off Lydia and you. As you walked into the loft, something occurred to you. The two of you had a moment in which you were almost… desperate, to reassure him that you were fine. That coupled with the fact that you had fewer nightmares when you spent time with Stiles, and that you had had those moments when you felt like you couldn’t breathe and your senses wouldn’t connect when you’d looked for Malia.

Was it possible that Stiles…? No that couldn’t be it. He’s fully human, he’s just been immersed into your world because of his friend. Growling to yourself, you pulled the door to the loft open and noticed two scents that had been quite faded.

“You know it’s a school night?”

At that moment, the Stiles situation was forgotten as you ran at your cousins’ and launched yourselves into their arms, laughing. “God I’ve missed you, two idiots!”

After disentangling themselves from your grip, Peter walked to the kitchen, only to return and hand you a cup of tea. The three of you sat down to catch each other up on what it was that had been going on.

They asked about what had been going on and you told them about Kira and Barrow and how Scott seemed to like Kira and you were trying to be her friend but if you were honest you were pretty bad at it. You told them about how, apparently, the Nemeton had been playing tricks on Scott, Stiles, and Allison but helping Malia seemed to have helped.

“And have you figured out who it is Little Wolf?”

Shaking your head, you let out a sigh. “Maybe? But the thing is that it doesn’t make sense.”  
  


“What do you mean?”

“It’s just that, well it doesn’t make sense.. I thought mates were all supposed to be wolves.”

“Are you saying that your mate may not be a wolf?”

“I’m not sure… I have to get a hold of my dad”

Derek looks surprised and Peter looks contemplative. You’re not sure why, but the two of them together at that moment give something away. You look at them and ask “What do you know?”

Peter smirks, he’s proud that you figured it out as fast as you did and Derek just lets out one of his scoffs that sounds like it may actually be a chuckle and shakes his head. Neither one of them responds immediately and you’re almost worried that they’re going to answer but then Derek tells you about his mother’s claws and his trip to the spirit world.

“Hurt didn’t it?” you chuckle when he’s done telling you about what he had seen. The story was there, the only thing Derek didn’t seem to know was that your own father and brothers would have to put you down. Or that Xolotl’s gift had been the ability to burden your mate’s pain, regardless of the bond. When Derek looked at you, you simply explained that it was the fastest way to be able to talk to your mom but also, unsurprisingly, one of the more painful options in talking to her.

Eventually, your cousins bid you goodnight. Peter kissed your forehead and Derek hugged you a little more tightly than usual. You had been in your room for less than five minutes before you heard Derek growling and things being thrown about his room. Worried that something may be wrong or that he may be hurt, you got up from the bed and made your way towards his room.

Knocking on the door, his harsh “What?!” only gave you a second pause before you walked right in. Raising your eyebrow, you saw your cousin changing the sheets. Tilting your head, you couldn’t tell anything wrong with them, sure they still smelled like Isaac- oh.. That’s right.

“You let them sleep in my bed?”

“Where else was he supposed to sleep? Besides, it was either him or Stiles or Scott and I figured since he’d been your Beta that you’d handle it better.”

“But he’s not my beta now, is he?”

“But he was. And besides, you trust him so it’s really not that big of a deal,” you said with a shrug of your shoulders.

Derek hissed at you and you merely stuck your tongue out at him.

“You know you’re lucky I love you, you brat.”

“I know.. It’s a good thing I love you, sour wolf.”

Derek raised an eyebrow at you as if to ask really?

You simply kissed his cheek before returning to your own room. You were tired and really wanted to go to bed, but, you had to know if it was possible to have a mate that wasn’t a wolf. It just didn’t make sense to you. So, arranging your blankets into a sort of nest, you grabbed unlocked your phone and got comfortable. 

You call your father but his phone goes straight to voicemail. Looks like it’s gonna have to be up to one of the boys. Calling your oldest brother, it takes him a few rings to answer but suddenly his face is filling your screen and you smile at him.

”You look like shit.”

“Yes well… It’s still better than your ugly mug.”

“You wound me”

“Oh shush Aaric, you know you’re a lovable wet dog.”

Your brother looked like he was going to retaliate when you heard Ro in the background. “Hey, Dad’s just got back, still haven’t found her.”

Aaric takes a deep breath and nods his head. You’re sure that Ro means your Tia Clara but you know better than to ask about it. They’re not going to tell you anything about it anyway, considering you’ve got to find your own mate.

Through the video you see your dad walk into the room. He looks tired, much more aged than the last time you two spoke and you let out a soft whine. It catches his and Ro’s attention and Aaric lifts the phone to show that you’re on the video line.

“Cariño,” your dad says softly.

“Hi Daddy, Hey Ro,” you say to them, a smile on your face at seeing them all together. When you were a child you had not been able to say Alaric or Rogelio and so Alaric became Aaric and Rogelio was just Ro.

The three of you just spend time talking, they’re relieved to see that you’re safe and you tell them about rescuing Kira. None of them are too excited that you put yourself in a situation where you could get seriously hurt but they’re proud that you’re not hiding from any tough situations either. You and your brothers had been raised to never shy away from a fight.

Your dad used to always say, “Remember, little ones bravery is half the victory.”

When the conversation comes to a natural lull, you take a breath - pulling their attention towards you. “Daddy,” you begin and Alaric handed the phone to him. You could see the worry in his gaze and you could tell that your brothers wanted to jump in but, thankfully, they were deferring to your dad.

“Que paso Cariño?”

“Is it possible for a mate to be, human?”

Your dad looked surprised and you heard Ro and Aaric curse under their breath. You bit your lower lip and could feel a leg bouncing against the mattress you currently sat on.

“You think you found your mate?”

“I don’t know daddy… The ones that were a sacrifice to the Nemeton? They’re all part of the McCall pack. Scott’s got human, hunter, wolf, and coyote all involved.’ You tell your dad about the pack. He already knows bits and pieces but this time you’re telling him about how it is that you interact with each of them. Before you can talk about Stiles though, one of your dad sentinels runs into the room, you know what it means and so you sigh and tell them all goodnight.

Your dad stops you from immediately hang up though, “I have no idea if there’s ever been a mate that isn’t a wolf but I’ll look into it Cariño. If you have found them, that’s a gift from Odin.”

“It wasn’t for Tia Clara.,” you say softly and you can see him stiffen in the video. He looks worried for a moment before his face hardens.

“That won’t happen you Ylfa, I promise. Now, I gotta go. Be good, Odin will smile upon you.” Your father blew you a kiss and the next thing that you knew, he had given the phone to Ro.

“Aarics gone to learn more?”

“He’s gotta learn to be an Alpha at some point, right?”

“You realize he may very well have to hunt me down if my mate rejects me?”

“Won’t happen,” Ro said with an icy undertone to his voice. You laughed and shook your head.

“You can’t make a mate accept the other one. Isn’t that what the Greeks ensured?”

“Bah! They don’t know you, Ylfa. You’ve got this unfortunate habit of worming your way into people’s hearts.”

“Goodnight Ro,” you said as you blew him a kiss. He pretended that it was the worst thing.

“I’m sorry about not telling you about T… I just, thought it would be better for you.”

“I get it.. He was your friend before we started dating. Just a sucky situation for everyone involved guess.” You bid your brother goodnight and laid down to try and get some rest for the next day.

-


	17. Chapter 17

Laying in bed that night, Stiles was having a hard time falling asleep. After dropping off Lydia, he had made his way towards Derek’s loft to drop off Natasha. He’d been a little surprised that she was a bit snappy at Rafael seeing as how he’s not really seen her snip at any authority figure. Though, he has to admit that he likes that she wasn’t willing to just back down. He had, however, been very worried about what had happened before the medics and police had gotten to the substation. **  
**

_“Natasha?” he had asked and at her hmmm of acknowledgment he’d asked if she was okay._

_When she had responded in the affirmative, the confusion had been so evident in her voice that he’d slammed on Roscoes breaks. He’d heard her grunt and watched a grimace cross her features. “That right there!!” he’d exclaimed as he motioned at her. “Not to mention that you just had a whole damn substations electrical current smack you like a ton of bricks. That has to have done some kind of damage! Or are you actually Wonder Woman?” While Stiles had continued to rant, she had very calmly and very casually just reached over and took his hand. He’d been so surprised at her trying to comfort him that he’d stopped his raving._

_“Stiles I promise you, I am absolutely fine. It wasn’t the whole substation or I would be very much dead. Seeing how that’s not the case, it was probably just a couple volts that had jumped off. Sure it hurt a ton in the moment but, now, it’s just the same as every other day. Nothing I’m not used to.”_

But those words… Sitting up in bed Stiles thought back to some of the things that he had noticed about the girl. The way that she would wince sometimes like she was in actual pain but there had been nothing around that could have been painful. Or the way that she would stretch, and when asked would just say that she was sore. Also, the way that he had overheard Scott ask Isaac if she was still in pain.

He pulled out the notebook he had started on her. There was his research on Themis, Xolotl, and Odin specifically. Though there was a lot more on the Norse god and mythology than on the other two. He was curious about something that he had noted before- Stories told of a family of wolves that had walked with Odin. He was trying to figure out if that had anything to do with her caring so much about the god. As he read it, he realized that a lot of it looked like gibberish and he was. well, he was sure that had to do with the fact that he hardly slept.

That was actually one of the reasons that the two of them had started to hang out as often as they did. Sure, her trusting him to not get her leg snapped in half by a bear trap was psych 101 for the friendship but, as they hung out more and more he realized that the girl was actually quite warm, inquisitive and sharp. He had however noticed that she was very hesitant to be affectionate while awake. For the most part, she was only really affectionate with Isaac and, occasionally, Allison. When she was asleep though, she seemed to be much more affectionate. The day that she’d fallen asleep while studying, she had curled up into his side and when he’d tried to leave, she’d searched for body heat and when he’d carried her upstairs earlier, she had nuzzled his neck. He had been hard-pressed not to drop her at that moment as his heart had practically stopped in his chest.

It made him wonder if she was naturally a very affectionate person but just hid it from the group. Not that he could entirely blame her, she still didn’t know him, Scott, or Lydia all that well.

He’d noted how her eyes were usually purple or blue. The purple seemed to look almost natural though he knew they weren’t. He’d seen them flash brightly the night Ethan and Aiden beat Scott. The blue, though, was a bright color.

Sighing, he put the notebook away and then laid back in bed. He felt bad that he still had the notebook. Maybe he would get rid of it. But, there were a lot of things he had in there that he had noticed about her. Like the way she bit her lower lip, or how she would get very defensive of both Peter and Derek. Or how her nose scrunched up when she actually laughed. Figuring he’d decide what to actually do with the notebook later he tried to go to sleep.

“I take it you didn’t sleep last night?” you asked Stiles as you hopped in Roscoe. He gave you a confused look and you shook your head, “You look like crap Stiles.”

He acts offended and you chuckle at him. The two of you head to school and you tell him that both Peter and Derek are back. He asks where they were and you just shrug, “Derek had questions for Talia and so they got her claws.”

“Why her claws?”

“Come on Stiles, it’s the supernatural, claws are… well, the best way I can think to describe it is to just say that an evolved wolf’s claws can be used to access them even after death.”

He merely makes a sound that sounds like he’s surprised at what you said. You roll your eyes before realizing that you didn’t see your backpack, “Stiles? Did you by any chance grab my back from your house this morning?”

“Nope, left it sitting on the sofa.”

“Stiles! I need-” his laugh cuts you off and you realize that he’s joking. Huffing at him, you stick out your tongue.

“It’s in the backseat.”

Looking In the back, you see that it is in fact sitting right there. You reach over and pull a notebook and a pen from it and you start to write down the things you remember from yesterday’s weird vision, or whatever it was.

“What you writing there?” Stiles asks and you tell him about the crazy vision you had had, though you make it out to have been a dream instead. You tell him about the spider and the eagle and the spear but you don’t say anything about him. Instead, you just say that you heard someone calling your voice and that when you found them, they were surrounded by fireflies and a valkyrie.

“I don’t know Stiles it was just weird.. Figured I should write it down though - might be something important later, ya know?”

“Makes sense.” he nods his head and the two of you spend the rest of the way to the school with only the radio making any real sound between you.

When you’re at school, you go with Stiles to his locker. Once the locker is open, he sets his keys inside and begins to get the books that he’s going to need for your first class.

Coach is talking into a bullhorn, “Class starts in five minutes!! Just because there’s no power don’t expect there to be no school.”

“Hey that’s a triple negative.” Stiles points out as he pulls back from rummaging through his locker. “Good job coach.”

“Copy that.”

You look down at your notebook and start to re-read what you had written on the way here. You’re distracted when, a moment later, Stiles is pulling Scott towards him. Truthfully, the only reason you even notice that is because Stiles is saying no and telling Scott to stop. Scott, for his part, is saying that he needs to talk to someone and you’re confused until you follow his eyes and see that he’s staring after Kira’s retreating form.

“No, you need to remember someone left a coded message telling Barrow to kill her.”

“Which is why I need to talk to her.” Scott rebuttals against his friend.

Shaking your head, you point out “Or, you could just talk to her because someone did leave a coded message for Barrow to kill her and she was kidnapped which is a pretty stressful situation for anyone to be in. Scott, you’ve talked to her a couple times. Stiles- we helped save her. I, for one, will be trying to check on her later today. I don’t think bombarding her currently will do any good.”

Stiles looked at you then Scott. “Scott, Natasha,” he began with a serious tone to his voice. “No, until we figure out if she’s just another psychotic monster that’s going to start murdering everybody, I vote against any and all interaction.”

“What if she’s like us?” Scott asks, motioning between you and him.

“That girl walked through 1.21 gigawatts of electricity. She’s not like either of you.”

“But Natasha did the same thing and you’re ok, right?”

Shaking your head, you rub your right hand over your left arm before bringing the hand to the back of your neck. ‘Scott, I didn’t walk through anything. A small bit of electricity had to have gotten out and it knocked me out. I don’t know how much a wolf can take and I don’t particularly care to find out. But there is no way that it would be even half a gigawatt.n That would have killed me.”

Scott looked torn for a moment before nodding his head and heading, presumably, towards the class. You were going to join him when you looked over and saw Stiles staring at a key on his keyring as if he were confused as to why it was there. Something occurred to you at that moment and glancing around you quickly, you made sure that no one you knew with supernatural hearing was in the area.

By the time you turned to look back at Stiles, he was looking at you with a raised eyebrow. You smirk at him, he was the one that had given you the perfect set up to ask anyways, “So… I take it you don’t think I’m a - what were the word” you stopped for a moment to try and remember what he’d said. “Ah yes, another psychotic monster that’s going to start murdering everybody?”

“Absolutely not,” Stiles says without hesitation as he puts an arm around you and you two walk to History. You chuckle softly and allow him to pull you along.

Realizing something, you ask Stiles “Have you heard from Allison or Isaac today?”

“No. But I’m sure Scott told Allison what happened so she would’ve told Isaac.”

You merely hum a sound of skeptical acceptance and pull your phone out. Sending Isaac a text, you ask if he’s at school today.

**Isaac: Nah me and Allison are taking the day off.**

**You: Everything ok?**

**Isaac: Ya**

**Isaac: just wanted to spend some time together without - ya know?**

**You: Alright, well stay out of trouble.**

**You: And give Alli my love**

**You: 😘💜💜💜💜**

**Isaac: What about me?**

**You: 😈😈💩💩**

Putting your phone away, you sit in your seat. Scott and Stiles are deep in conversation with each other and Kira is stuck in her paperwork. It actually looks like she may be doodling, considering how quickly her pens moving across the page.

Leaning forward, you tap her on the shoulder. She stiffens for a moment before turning to you. Squeezing her shoulder in, what you hope is, a reassuring gesture she shakes her head at you, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

You nod your head at her, “We don’t have to. Just know that if you find yourself needing anything, I’m here for you. Pretty sure that Scott would be to…” out of the corner of your eye, you see Scott glance at the two of you very quickly, “Actually I know he would.” you tell her before leaning back in your own seat.

Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you try to ignore it but it goes off a couple more times. You pull it out and look down at the screen.

**Stiles: What was that?**

**Stiles: Natasha… she could be dangerous**

**Stiles: Do you want to get eaten?!**

**Stiles: Seriously!**

The little bubble that indicates he’s still writing is going off and you shake your head before typing out a quick response,

**You: Trust me… Please?**

You hear him sigh and the bubble disappears for a moment before it appears again. A second later, you see his response

**Stiles: 😑**

**Stiles: Okay.**

Sending him an appreciative smile, you feel your phone vibrate again, looking at it you see a text from Ro in a group chat.

**Ro: Ok, so since Ylfa, knows that we’re all talking, I am reviving the group chat and you can all suck it 😜**

As you go to respond, you hear Mr. Yukimura say, “Ms. Ragnulf,” and you know you’ve been caught on your phone. Making a face, you turn to look at him. “Since you seem so preoccupied with your phone, perhaps you already know the answer then?” At your blank look, he repeated the question he had asked the rest of the class. “What happened in the United States after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?”

It took you a moment to recall your reading but you finally did, “President Roosevelt called December 7, 1941 ‘A day that will forever live in infamy.’ Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan and we are officially seeking vengeance against the Japanese. The following year, Japanese-Americans are thrown in internment camps throughout the United States. The U.S. sends troops to aid the Allied Powers in Europe and fights on the Pacific Theatre. Men end up slaughtered in the capturing Iwo Jima and Okinawa as the Japanese took longer to surrender than expected. Many of the leaders of the Japanese military were required to perform Seppuku because of the shame they had brought upon -”

“Well,” Mr. Yukimura cut you off, “It seems that someone actually did their reading. Good job Ms. Ragnulf.”

Mr. Yukimura then turns back to the front of the class and continues his lecture on World War II.


	18. Chapter 18

You’re walking through the halls, looking for Kira. She may not want to talk about what happened to her but this is definitely not a time for her to be alone either. Hearing your name being called, you stop and turn, watching Aiden weave through some of the other students to catch up to you.

“You know, you didn’t have to yell. I would have heard your inside voice.”

“But we’re supposed to be humans in high school.”

“I’m pretty sure that Beacon Hills has seen much weirder things than someone being able to hear really, really well.” Aiden just looks at you like he’s not that impressed. You ask him what he needs and are slightly thrown off by his request.

“Does Derek still have those generators?”

“Yeah.. wh- wait, how do you know about them?”

“Well one, I saw them the night before ya’ll tracked down Malia and two- well.. Kali had us disable them that night.” he trails off almost as if he’s uncomfortable talking about the situation and you nod your head in understanding as you remember that Isaac had told you the twins had held Derek’s claws while Kali had impaled Boyd upon them.

“Yea, we’ve still got them. Why?”

“Ethan and I are trying to do something nice.”

Moving to lean against the wall of the hallway, you cross your arms. ‘That doesn’t explain why you’re asking about our generators.”

“I was hoping that we could use the loft for Danny’s party tonight.”

Oh this was gonna be good, schooling your features into a look of confusion, you ask “Danny’s having a party?”

The shock that runs across Aidens face is almost priceless, “You- you didn’t know?” he stutters out.

“Why would I? I’m new here still and it’s not like Danny and I are friends.” Neither of which is a lie, though the second may be more of a technicality. You had met Danny once while waiting for Isaac to finish lacrosse practice, which was when he’d invited you to the party - but that didn’t make you friends. 

“But, he told basically everyone in school…” Aiden is whispering before he started to try and back pedal, “I swear - I thought you knew. It’s not like I would just ask for…”

He’s cut off by you laughing. “Aiden, I’m pulling your leg. I knew about it. But, honestly, do you really think Derek’s gonna just let you have a party at the loft?”

“Derek’s back?”

At your nodded confirmation, AIden sighed, “What about Peter?”

“Both of them got in yesterday apparently.”

‘Well then.. Nevermind I guess.” he says and runs a hand through his hair. Before he can turn away, you see that he actually looks somewhat upset at the news.

You’re determined to go about your day. First things first, you need to find Kira and make sure that she’s okay. You start up in the direction you had been going but then your conscience gets the better of you.

You try to argue with yourself, sure you had said that you would help but that doesn’t mean that you had to get yourself in trouble with either of your cousins. Derek would have a conniption if you threw a party at the loft you’re sure and Peter… Well Peter had too many seemingly harmless items that would probably end up killing half of the school.

Groaning you turn around and search for Aiden. He’s already out of the hallway that you had just been in. So, moving quickly you rush down the hallway andep finding him not too far around the corner.

“Aiden!” you call out, grabbing his attention. He stops at the end of the hallway but doesn’t turn to you. Jogging over to him, you say “I’ll help but you’ve gotta tell me why you really wanna do this.”

Aiden signs, “Lydia thinks I’m a monster. And Scott.. Scotts not looking for power. Ethan made a good point. Scott.- he cares about people.”

“So you’re trying to be a normal human in high school? And you think that doing this is going to help Lydia see that you’re not a monster and show Scott that you’re more than your past?”

Aiden doesn’t react and that is all the confirmation that you need. “You can use the loft. It’s safer than Peters apartment. It’s also larger than the apartment. The thing is, you gotta get Derek out of the apartment.”

“You can’t get him out?”

You raise an eyebrow and shake your head, “Nope, you wanna be a normal human, then you get to be the one to plan it.”

“Okay.”

You offer him a slightly smug smile and reach into your pocket, “Awesome,” you pull out the keys you have to the loft and toss them to him. “So, get what you need set up. Generators are already set up on the terrace, you just have to actually power them on. Which is literally just the flip of a switch.”

He gives you a look that screams really? And you just shrug your shoulders at him. “It’s the best you’re getting from me.”

He chuckles and nods his head at you.

With that you take off and make your way to find Kira or Scott or Stiles. You find Scott first. He’s looking for Stiles. When you asked for, he said that it had to do with Kira.

Thankfully it doesn’t take the two of you very long to find Stiles and Scott doesn’t waste any time saying “We need to get KIra’s phone back.”

He sounds like it’s the most important thing in the world and both you and Stiles share a look.

Stiles doesn’t seem to want to ask so you do, “Why?”

“She’s got some pictures on there that my dad can’t see.”

“And how are we supposed to help with that?” Stiles asks

“We need to get it from the Sheriff’s Station?”

“Scott my dad is under review. Or did you conveniently forget that?”

“I mean he’s not wrong Scott, there’s a lot at risk. Mostly to the Stilinski’s… “

“Guys, please?’

“What kind of pictures?”

You hear Scotts heart stop for a moment and you raise an eyebrow at him. “Ummm… nudes?”

“What?!” Stiles scoffs, “Seriously dude? Nudes?”

Scott gives Stiles a look, “Please?” He’s practically begging and Stiles groans for a moment before nodding his head and agreeing. Scotts sigh is full of relief. “Can you get your dads keys?”

“Won’t matter they changed everything to a key card system. You’ve gotta have the right card for the right rooms. Especially to get into the office.”

“Ok what does that mean?”

You raise your eyebrow at Scott, disbelief written on your face. Sighing and shaking your, head you say “It means that we need those cards, some blank ones and an RFID copier.”

“Well, you have one right?” 

“Oh yea, let me just grab an RFID emulator from Roscoe and I’ll get right on that.”

Neither you nor Scott miss the sarcasm in his voice and Scott looks upset. You however, know exactly where to get an RFID emulator on short notice.

Rubbing the back of your neck you ask “You guys trust me?”

Both of them turn to look at you, the question evident in their gaze and you say the one name you know they don’t want to hear, ‘Peter.”


	19. Chapter 19

You and Stiles pull up in front of Peters apartment complex and Stiles lets out a whistle. “So this is Peters place?”

Humming in the affirmative, you walk up to the doors and buzz in the code to be let into the building. Once the two of you are in, you make your ways to the elevator so you can head up to the penthouse your cousin moved into a couple months ago.

“So why does Peter have an RFID emulator?”

“Truthfully? I’m not entirely sure.”

“Soo… you don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that he was a deranged alpha trying to destroy Beacon Hills?” At the look on your face, Stiles defends himself “Don’t give me that look. It was a pretty terrifying time. Scott wanted to kill me- many times.”

“Stiles I’m pretty sure part of that had to do with the fact that the two of you are basically brothers.”

‘Maybe but the werewolf thing didn’t make it any better.”

“Eh- I’ll give you that…”

“Didn’t mean it took any less time of my life.”

The two of you entered the loft and you came face to face with your cousin. You can hear Stile’ heartbeat stutter for a second before slowing and steadying suddenly. Peter is just looking at the both of you.

“Little Wolf… Is there a reason that you brought Stiles into my home?”

Stiles scoffed and you just chuckled. “Peter, drop the act. I know you like Stiles. Besides he’s with me so you can play nice.”

Peter chuckles as he walks over to you. Pulling you into a hug, he kisses your forehead. “What can I do for you?”

“I need that RFID copier of yours.”

He raises an eyebrow at you but directs his attention to Stiles “Now, why would Little Wolf need one of those, Stiles?”

“Because we need to get into somewhere that requires a keycard.”

Peter’s lip curls and you step forward grabbing his arm, attempting to placate him before he can actually get irritated with Stiles. He looks down to you and you offer him, what you hope is, your best puppy dog eyes.

Giving a long-suffering sigh, Peter asks Little Wolf, “How many cards do you need?”

Smiling at him, the girl informs him of the number and he looks at her and then Stiles. 

He notices the way that she’s managed to place herself between him and Stiles. Curious, he thought as he stepped away to get the requested device and cards.

As he’s walking away, he decides that he’s going to listen in on his Little Wolf and on Stiles. What he hears amuses him. Stiles is, as usual, not convinced that they should be trusting him and his Little Wolf is defending him. Her phone goes off and a moment later, she’s groaning. Whatever she’d seen was not something that she was happy about.

Returning to the room, he stays within the doorframe. Watching as she paces back and forth for a moment. Thought the interesting thing is that, as she paces, it would seem that she is almost, unable, to move further from where she is. Though, neither she nor Stiles are paying him any mind as Stiles asks the girl what’s wrong.

At Stiles’ question, you turned to look at him. “Ethan and Aiden can’t seem to get any alcohol for Danny’s party and Danny’s guy seems to have fallen through.”

“What about Demarco?”

“Who?”

“One of Satomi’s Beta’s” Peter answers and you turn to look at him. WIthout realizing it, you once again place yourself directly between him and Stiles, a fact that Peter doesn’t miss. Though he makes no outward indication of noticing it, he continues “The guy is willing to sell alcohol to a bunch of teens. I’m not so sure that you should be talking to him Little Wolf.”

You don’t miss the disapproving tone in Peters voice and so you remind him that not long ago he was a teenager himself. “Are you saying that you never drank?”

“Of course I did. I still do. But it doesn’t mean I want you to get drunk.”

“Pete,” you smirk at his narrowed eyes “Werewolf, remember? It’s not possible for me to get drunk on any beer and Stiles is driving so it’s not like he’ll drink.”

Peter’s glance turns to Stiles and it’s like he’s trying to figure something out though you’re not sure what it is. Whatever it is, though, Peter seems to find it.because a moment later, he nods his head.

“Have them reach out to Demarco. Tell them to order a keg of The Wolfs Brew. I’ll pay for it- but only this once.” You turn to look at Stiles whose face is about as confused as you feel, thankfully Peter clarifies, “It’s one of the few additives that can give a wolf a mild buzz. Mind you, it won’t get you fully drunk- you’d need hard liquor for that - but it will give you a fun little buzz in which to enjoy the drink.”

“What about the humans?”

“Doesn’t do a whole lot to them from what I understand.”

You nod your head and look at Stiles who shrugs. “It’s up to you, do you wanna try it?”

“Maybe a little. Curiosity and all that.” You say after a moment. It’s not like you’re planning on trying enough to get drunk or anything. Maybe just try to relax a bit. “Besides, Scott, Isaac and the twins might like it.”

Pulling your phone out, you shoot Aiden a quick text, letting him know to reach out to Demarco and get a keg of The Wolfs Brew. Peter hands you the machine that will help you break into the Sheriff’s offices and you thank him for the help before you and Stiles are leaving the loft.

The sun’s already set by the time that you make it to the Sheriff’s station that night. Aiden texted you that things were set up at the loft and that Derek was gone for the night. Stiles parks Roscoe just as Scott pulls up, Kira riding with him.

The two of them get off the bike, and you hand Stiles the cards. Turns out that you had only needed three. Kira smiles at you and offers an awkward wave and you return the wave with a soft smile of your own.

“Hey you…”

Scott greets you and then Stiles. Stiles hands the copied cards to the duo,”Okay, this one will get you into all of the perimeter doors, this one into the evidence room, and this one’s for my dad’s offices.”

Scott takes all three of them and then looks at Stiles before asking “You didn’t steal these did you?” and you can’t help wanting to smack him. He knows what you did to get them!

It occurs to you, however, that it’s not so much for him that he’s asking as it is for Kira. So, you shake your head, “Nope. We cloned them using an RFID emulator.”

Kira looks surprised before she asks, “Is that worse than stealing?”

You’re not sure how to respond because, after all, this whole thing is for her anyways and you’re genuinely confused as to why this is going to be her worry. Thankfully, Stiles doesn’t seem to have an issue with pointing out, “It’s smarter.”

Kira then grabs Scott’s arm and, as she pulls him away, says, “Scott, Can I ask you something?”

Scott follows her and you and Stiles share a look, “Guess we’ll just…” Stiles trails off as he scratches his temple. You let out a small huff and pay attention to Scott and Kira. Stiles notices and asks what they’re talking about

You respond in a whisper, enough that Kira shouldn’t be able to hear though Scott will, “Kira’s asking about the pictures and Scotts telling her that he told us she’s got nudes on it.”

Before the conversation can go any further, Scott and Kira are walking back to the jeep and so Stiles gives them the information that they’ll need in order to get to Kira’s phone. With the city blackout, most of the department will be dealing with that. But, Stiles points out that there’s going to be at least one or two people that are still in the station. He tells them to use the service door entrance and you’re not sure if it’s terrifying or not that Stiles knows this until it occurs to you that as the Sheriff’s son, he would definitely spend a decent amount of time there.

“Now, I’ll text you if anyone comes out. But, Scott, if you get caught I can’t help you. Okay? My dads under investigation for impeachment because of your dad so, if anything happens I will run and leave you both for dead.”

You don’t miss the look of surprise on Kira’s face when Stiles points out that it’s Scott’s dad who is making the Sheriff’s life difficult and you don’t blame her- you would probably be confused about it in her shoes. Eyes wide, she smiles for a second before thinking better of it.

Scott thanks Stiles and then you. You motion towards the dumpster and tell them to hurry up. As they walk away, you can feel yourself starting to become nervous. You suddenly realize that anyone could walk out of the building or pull up to the building and you’re not exactly in the most inconspicuous location. Once they’re both in the building though, you relax.

You and Stiles wait for the two of them to come back out and as you do, he pulls out his keys again. He flips them around in his hand a couple times as he bounces his leg. He’s looking at the same key he had been earlier this morning.

“So, are you gonna go to Danny’s party?” you ask him, tearing his gaze from the keys in front of him to you.

Stiles looks confused and you can feel your cheeks warm. You probably shouldn’t have said anything, it was kind of obvious that he would be going if you thought about it. He, Scott, Lydia, Allison and, to some extent, Isaac were part of the in-crowd. Though they didn’t hang out with the normal popular kids, it wasn’t hard to believe. Scott and Stiles were both first line on the Lacrosse team and Scott was even captain. Lydia had maintained her popular girl status, even though she wasn’t dating the lacrosse captain and Allison was just, overall nice. Isaac, it seemed was just cute.

You clear your throat and are about to change the topic when there are headlights in your vision. The lights are irritating and you blink your eyes repeatedly allowing your pupils to adjust. When they do, you see that it’s a black SUV. Stiles has seen him too if his “Ah hell” is anything to go by.

“So are we really running and leaving them both for dead?” you ask as you pull your phone out and send Scott a text. The message gives you an error, that it cannot send and you shake your head. “It’s not going through Stiles.” Looking up, you see that it’s Scott’s dad that’s getting off the SUV. “Ummm, Stiles… Seriously, are we leaving them for dead cause that’s Mr. Suit himself”

“Come on Scott.. “ Stiles murmurs as he looks at the service door for just a moment before groaning. “I am so gonna regret this,” he says as he’s jumping off Roscoe. You follow not far behind and the two of you run into the station right behind Rafael.

“Hey, hey. Wow! Thank God you are here.” Stiles calls out as he runs in front of Mr. Suit effectively blocking his entrance into the back offices. “Oh, boy! Thank the Lord,” Stiles chuckles nervously, dragging the words out before just awkwardly standing there. He looks to you for assistance.

Rafael looks at Stiles and then at you. “What do you two want?” He directs the question at Stiles and you can feel your hackles rising while Stiles is stuttering through the next part of the conversation.

“I - that is WE were thinking on the case and… And we got to talking and, you see, we realized we had the um… the uh same thoughts.” Stiles is trying to come up with something and keeps glancing at you.

Stepping up next to him you say, “We then thought that, you know, we should clue you in our thinking.. Here’s our thinking.. We were thinking this..”

Stiles snaps and both you and Rafael turn your attention to him, “We were thinking that, Barrow, right… Barrow received the information about who to kill at the school, right, you know that?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” you mutter under your breath and Stiles gives you a look,, begging you to go along with this and Rafael looks unimpressed with you. You just give him a toothy smile.

“So” Stile says loudly and you “We were thinking maybe the person who gave him that information, check this out, might actually be someone at the school.” He finishes by tapping Rafael’s chest with his finger.

“So that’s our thinking.” you say sweetly.

Surprisingly, Rafael makes a sound of agreement. You’re almost positive that you’re hearing things when he says “You’re right.” and when Stiles proclaims his surprise, he continues “Yep. We uh… we started looking for links between Barrow, faculty and students last night.”

“So you already, then, know that stuff? Hmmm. You already thought of that.”

“Your dad did.”

Stiles is surprised and you can’t help but preen internally at the compliment his dad got until Mr. Suit has to open his mouth again, “His one useful suggestion.”

“Are you kidding me?!” you snap at Mr. Suit. “What crawled up your-”

“My what? Hmmm? Ms. Natasha. What crawled where? Because I have just about had it with your little attitude. You had better watch your tone because if not, you will find yourself spending the night in one of Beacons Hills’ best cells.”

“I haven’t done a thing wrong,” you say through gritted teeth. “Besides, you can’t arrest me for calling you out on the things that you can’t do. It’s not my fault that you’re terrible a your job.”

Rafael takes a deep breath and moves to swipe his card to get into the back offices, “I hae no idea why Stilinski puts up with this but -”

Stiles moves his body to stand toe to toe with Rafael, and you can feel the change in the atmosphere around him, “You know, this attitude that you have towards my dad? You can dress it up to all the professional disapproval that you want. But I know the real reason why you don’t like him.”

Rafael chuckles, “Is that so?”

“Yeah. Because he knows something that you don’t want him to know.” Stiles voice is soft and almost deadly in that moment. You can hear Rafael’s heartbeat begin to slow and you look between the two of them. Neither one of them pays attention to you but when Stiles says he also knows whatever it is, you hear Rafael’s heart basically stop and he suddenly smells fearful and stressed.

There’s a heavy silence that hangs in the room before Rafael is dismissing the two of you. “Go home Stiles. Natasha… There’s a… There’s a curfew.” He clears his throat then walks past the two of you into the offices.

Rafael has stepped around Stiles to get into the back offices and you can feel the sadness, frustration, hurt, and anger radiating off of Stiles. You can feel it in your chest as your heart feels like it’s constricting and you whimper, pulling Stiles out of whatever distraction he was in. Reaching out he gives you a sad smile and squeezes your hand. You’re not sure what exactly caused it other than Rafael and if he does it again, you’re going to return the favor.

“We should get going.” He says, “After all, there is a curfew.”

Snorting you nod your head and follow Stiles back out to Roscoe. Scott and Kira are already at the Jeep.

“We did it, all the pics deleted,” Scott informs you proudly as Kira lets out an excited exclamation.

“God! That was awesome! I mean, terrifying. Completely terrifying” she clarifies, as she shakes her head before chuckling, “But kind of awesome.”

“I’ve never done anything like that before. Have you?” she asks the three of you and both Stiles and Scott stiffen before sharing a look.

“Yeah, once or twice.”

Kira looks at you and you nod your head. While you’ve never done anything like this with Scott or Stiles it doesn’t mean that you never did stuff like this with T and your brothers.

Scott shrugs and then tells Kira he should take her home. Her face falls as she nods along. As she gets on the bike you smack Stiles arm he turns to look at you and you mouth Danny’s party. He looks like he’d rather not bring that up but you flick your eyes to the two.

Thankfully, though Stiles doesn’t have to say anything because Scott’s already asked Kira if she’d want to go.


	20. Chapter 20

Getting to the loft, you had been surprised at the amount of cars that were outside. It seemed like everyone at the high school and then some had been parked in front of the loft. Thankfully, the building itself was empty other than Derek. Something you hadn’t understood before but were extremely grateful for in the moment.

You’d had Stiles and Scott park in the parking garage and the four of you made your way from the garage to the loft. The closer you got the louder the music became. You could feel the thudding of the bass against the floor up through your chest and a smile tugged at your lips.

Pulling the door open, you’re suddenly blinded by a neon light beam. Squeezing your eyes shut, before blinking them open. What you see when your eyes do adjust surprises you- Danny, Ethan and Aiden had done a great job at getting the loft blacklight ready. Someone had brought moving lights that were flashing through the loft and there was enough blacklight that pretty much everything was glowing. A group of people come in after you, each of them carrying a case of beer and a quick glance around the room shows that there’s a lot more alcohol than you had expected.

“Derek can never know about this.” you’re almost shouting to be heard over the music.

Stiles and Scott both turn to you, their faces very clearly showing they think you’re insane, “It’s his loft?”

“There’s more beer here than a liquor store. I’m not trying to die for that,” you shrug as you’re all stepping into a the loft. Suddenly, there’s something icy seeping through your shirt.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” you hear someone say and you see a red cop that’s tilted awkwardly. Of course, the cold you feel had to be someone spilling their drink on you.

“It’s fine!” you say back and the girl grabs your arm, she tells you that you’re ‘so nice for not being mad!’ She’s very obviously drunk but she makes her way back into the crowd.

Once she’s gone you let out a chuckle. “I’ll be back. I’m gonna go change,” you tell the trio you entered with. Looking at Kira, who seems a bit out of her element, you call her name. When her attention is on you, you ask if she’d like to borrow something.

Looking like a deer caught in headlights, she shakes her head quickly. “I’m okay.”

You raise an eyebrow at her but she just nods her head and reassures you that she doesn’t need anything. Figuring she’d rather just spend some time with Scott you nod your head and, staying close to the wall, quickly make your way to the spiral staircase before running upstairs. You find a white yoga bra and black leggings that are already covered in splotches of colorful neon paint and change quickly.

While you’re making your way down the the spiral stairs, you scan the room, trying to find Stiles, Scott and Kira or Isaac and Allison or Lydia. Your eyes find Stiles pretty quickly but he’s already looking at you. You lift you hand to wave at him when a girl pulls Stiles into a kiss. You can feel a ball form in the pit of your stomach and when he looks at you again, you offer him a weak smile before making your way down the stairs.

It had taken Scott, Kira and Stiles a moment to actually move from the door. They were making their way through the crowd of bodies and Stiles was telling Scott about the key he’d found. “It just showed up there on my keyring this morning. I asked my dad if he put it there but he didn’t know anything about it.”

“It’s just a key right?” Scott’s asking as if he’s trying to clarify what it is that’s got him so worried about the key.

Stiles is looking around as he answers, “Yeah but it’s not mine and I don’t know how-” he’s stopped mid sentence by the sight of Natasha walking down the stairs. He couldn’t tell you what the garments are called but she looks absolutely stunning and he cannot tear his gaze away from her.

She’s looking around when their eyes connect. He watches as she waves at him, when suddenly he feels hands cupping his face and holding his neck. He’s surprised to feel lips and he’s not sure why but he could swear that he saw hurt flash through her eyes, which should be impossible from this distance, but she’s smiling at him and someone’s saying happy halloween. He turns and sees a girl in an orange wig making her way through the crowd. 

Looking back at the stairs, he doesn’t see Natasha anywhere. Figuring that he imagined the whole thing he turned to find the girl with the orange wig.

Your heart’s beating faster and your mouth is dry as you make your way through the bodies. Seeing Isaac, you begin to make your way towards him when you see Allison walk up. The two are obviously having a conversation that you can’t make out over the noise.

As you get closer, you hear Isaac say, “I don’t like keeping secrets from Scott.“

“No, you don’t. You just like to stand there awkwardly waiting for someone to notice us…” Allison responds and you take that as your cue to veer in a different direction.

While you would like to spend time with them it seems they’re having an argument you don’t really want to bear witness to. So you start to wander through the crowd.

You’re enjoying the music and dancing with a group of girls you don’t know when someone grabs your shoulder. Turning, you find Aiden offering you a bottle.

“Wolf’s brew,” he says over the music at your furrowed brow. “You’re literally a lifesaver!”

You take the drink from his hand and laugh. “You’ll actually have to thank Peter”

Aiden makes a face, his features twisted in disgust. “Yea, that’s not happening!”

“I thought this was supposed to be a keg?”

“Demarco said all they had was bottled so this is what we get. Gotta admit, whatever it is it actually punches quite a punch.”

“What’s in it?” you ask as you take a tentative sniff of the drink. It just smells like regular beer to you.

“Demarco said it’s just regular alcohol but they steep Kava and Salvia Divinorum with it.”

You have no idea what either of those are but Peter had paid for the alcohol and you had no intention of turning it down. So taking the bottle, you cheered Aiden before taking a drink. The drink was sweet in your mouth. You and Aiden spend some time talking about the turn out and the party before he’s excusing himself, saying that he was going to find Lydia and you let him go figuring he could use the chance to woo the redhead.

Stiles finds the girl in the orange wig and gets her attention.

“Hey, I kissed you,” she says as she moves towards him, a smile on her face as she continues to dance.

“Yeah, you kind of did. What’s your name?” 

“I’m Caitlin.”

“Caitin..” he repeats when a realization suddenly floods him, “Oh my God you’re Caitlin.”

‘I know, I just told you that.”

Stiles is stumbling over his words “No, I know… I just… I mean, uh… you and your girlfriend. She’s…” He has no idea how to be sensitive about this and is trying to figure out how to not be an ass.

“She died.”

“Yeah… Are you okay?”

Caitlin just throws her hands up and nods her head, “Yeah! I’m really drunk.”

“Okay,” Stile says as he rubs the back of his neck. He’s going to walk away when she asks if he wants to dance. He’s surprised by the offer but agrees and follows her to the dance floor.

As Stiles and Caitlin are dancing, he sees that she keeps looking over his shoulder. At first, he doesn’t really pay any mind to it but then she’s got a sensual smirk directed at someone. Someone that is not him. He turns, expecting to see another girl flirting with Caitlin and instead he sees that there’s a guy smirking in their direction.

Confusion floods him as he looks between the two. Leaning over to Caitlin, he says, “I thought you liked girls?”

She turns to him and raises an eyebrow, “I do. Do you?”

“Absolutely,” he responds without hesitation. “So you also like boys?

“Absolutely, do you?”

Stiles stops and looks at her. He’s never been asked that and he’s never actually thought about it. Before he can really focus on it though, the guy that Caitlin was flirting with has joined them and is asking if he can cut in

Stiles steps to the side and allows the guy to replace him. He can’t help but feel a little disappointed. Sighing, he runs his hands through his hair and makes his way off the dance floor to go get a water. As he gets closer, he sees Natasha talking to someone.

It takes him a moment to realize just who it is but when he does, he quickly makes his way towards her, calling out her name like a mad man.

After Aiden had left you to find Lydia, you had found yourself just moving through the crowd. Grabbing another drink, you’re hanging out near the DJ’s platform when you catch sight of Stiles dancing with the girl that had kissed him earlier. She’s got a smirk on her face and you can’t help but wonder if you could get away with “accidentally” tearing her rotator cuff. It might be a little difficult to manage but at least it wouldn’t be bloody.

As you’re contemplating this, a body slides up uncomfortably close to you on your right. Stepping to the left you turn to look at the person. A brunette you recognize from the lacrosse team but you can’t put a name to.

“Jax,” he says with a hand extended to you and a friendly smile on his face. You smile and begin to introduce yourself, “I know who you are. You’ve been hanging out with Lahey, McCall, and Stilinski.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing.”

“Nah,” he says with a shrug, that is very reminiscent of T, “Just a bit surprising. None of them were every great with girls. Especially not ones like you.” He’s looking at you like you’re a meal he intends to devour and extends his hand to you again, “Care to dance?”

On the one hand, your ego and vanity enjoy the attention but on the other hand, it feels very uncomfortable “Actually,” you begin only to be cut off by Stiles calling your name. 

‘There you are!” he breathes out as you feel an arm wrap around your waist. Looking over to Stiles you see that he’s glaring at Jax. Out of the corner of your eye you see a smirk fall on Jax’s features.

“Stilinski.”

“Robertson”

You look between the two of them and watch as Jax’s eyes flick to Stiles’ arm wrapped around your waist and then up to Stiles before he addresses you, “I didn’t realize you were here with Stilinski.”

Stiles feels his blood run cold at the thought that she had been talking to Robertson for a while. “Well- you obviously don’t know very much Robertson” he says as he pulls her closer only to stiffen when he realizes that it’s her chest and stomach that are pressed against him and not her side. He could swear that he’s going to die of a heart attack his heart’s beating so fast in the moment. He’s not sure what she says but before he knows it, Robertson is walking away.

“So, what was all that about?”

Stiles is still looking in the direction that Jackson had walked off. “I don’t trust him.”

“Alright then, no hanging out with Jax.” you murmur into his shoulder which is when you realize that you’ve basically wrapped yourself around him.You take a half step back at the same time he does.

Stiles runs into a table with a bunch of brushes and paint, some of them clatter to the floor and he quickly picks them up and sets them back on the table. The two of you are left standing there and it feels a bit awkward, looking around you realize that it’s just the two of you.

“Where’s your friend?”

“Scott?” he begins to look around, “I’m not -”

“No- the um.. The girl that” you reach for his cheek and wipe some of the neon flakes away, “Did this to you..”

Stiles looks at your fingers and his brow furrows, “You mean Caitlin?”

“I guess? I haven’t… umm met her.” your voice softens at the end and you rub the back of your neck somewhat self-consciously.

“Oh! She’s not- that is to say… Well she’s not really a friend.” as he rubs his cheek, getting rid of most of the remaining fluorescent. The sight of which makes you bite back a smile. He moves his arm to rub the back of his neck as he continues “Her girlfriend… That is to say that ummmm… It was in the woods and.. well…”

The smile you were trying to bite back disappears, Isaac had told you about the night they’d chased Cora and Boyd. “She was one of the Darach’s…” he nods and you feel like the biggest jerk to have ever existed. Taking another drink of the Wolfs Brew, you clear your throat, “Did you ummm…did you wanna go check on her?”

“I uh, actually talked to her earlier. She’s ummm… she’s fine.” At your look of disbelief he continues “Well she’s drunk but she’s dancing with someone and seems ok.”

“Good to know.”

Things feel awkward for a moment as the music blares around you but you and Stiles say nothing. Looking around you a thought occurs to you and so you step around him, to look at the brushes and paint. A thought occurs to you and so you pick up one of the brushes and turn to him, a smile on your face, “Care to paint my body?”

Lydia’s glancing around the room and wondering, not for the first time, why she decided to come tonight. She sees Allison dancing with Isaac, almost sensually.”Ach! Finally.” Those two had been dancing around each other so much she was wondering if either one of them would actually step up.

As the music pulsed, she continued to look around. And sees Aiden dancing with some girls behind the gate, one of them is grinding into him and she scoffs, “Predictably.”

She rolls her eyes and turns, her eyes catching Stiles dancing. He’s doing the sprinkler and his arms are flailing about awkwardly, but there’s a huge smile on his face. She sees a hand with intricate neon swirls up the arm grab his hand and follows up to the face.

“Interestingly…” Stiles is dancing with Natasha and both of them look like their lost in their own world. She’s looking at him like he’s the only thing in the world, he’s looking at her and it’s a look Lydia recognizes but she doesn’t think Stiles does. The two of them are dancing like there’s no one watching them and, suddenly, Lydia feels like she’s intruding on something intimate.

Looking away, Lydia hears a low snarling. Trying to find the source, all she can see are bodies dancing in the room, pressed against each other. Making her way through the bodies, a dark figure appears before immediately disappearing.

Feeling like she’s beginning to suffocate, she calls out Scott’s name and continues to make her way through the people before she finally makes it to the Terrace.

You find yourself unable to stop staring at Stiles, you can feel the smile on your face as the two of you enjoy the night dancing away. As the latest song wrapped up, you and Stiles make your way towards the stairs. You stop to grab two water, a bottle of wolfs brew and a beer. Handing Stiles water and the beer, you down your water.

Stiles sits on one of the steps and drinks his water then holds up the cold beer the question evident on his face. You just shrug your shoulders and sit on the steps below him, “That’s up to you. You’ve stayed the night before. Do you have a bottle opener?”

“Yes,” he says as he reaches into his pocket.

He’s leaning over you and opening your brew when you see the yellow glow. “Your key has phosphors on it,” you say as you wrap your hand around his and lift the key and turn it, “look.” You let go and look up at him, finding that he’s staring somewhat intently at the key. Like he’s trying to figure something out.

He looks at you, and before you’ve even thought about it, your lips are pressed against his. His lips form against yours almost awkwardly, mechanically. You pull away and as you do, you feel his fingers brush against your neck.

“I- I’m sorry…” you stammer out, “I shouldn’t have- I sw-” His lips are on yours and you return the kiss, cupping his face before he’s pulling back.

“I’m sorry, what are phosphors?”

“Oh… uh, they’re any substance that luminesces. It’s in your teeth and fingernails. Laundry detergent. It’s also in this,” you say as you rub at the swirling patterns he had painted earlier. “Reacts to the UV light that’s why it glows.”

Stiles makes a humming sound of agreement and nods his head, accepting your explanation before he’s leaning in and kissing you again. This time it’s passionate and feels just like coming home. Stiles pulls away and you don’t like the feeling.

‘I’m sorry. I’m really totally sorry… it’s just, how would I get phosphors on my keys?”

You’re a little fuzzy, the brew having had its intended side effects so it takes you a moment, “Chemicals.”

It occurs to you ba moment later than it does him. Barrow. He’s already gotten up but you’re quick to follow him out.

“Wait, wait, wait!” he stops you as you’re heading down the stairs. When you ask what’s wrong he points at you “You don’t have a jacket. You’re gonna be freezing.”

You’re shocked that that’s what he’s noticed and focused on right now. Shaking your head, you pass him on the stairs and grab his hand, pulling him along with you.

‘Natasha I’m serious! We need to go get you a jacket.”

“You got a flannel in Roscoe?”

“Uhh yea… maybe”

“Then I’ll use that and if it’s not there you’ll just have to keep me warm yourself.” He’s stopped and you come to a jarring halt, an oof escaping your lips as you turn to him. “What?”

“I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”

“Stiles, we have to get to the school.”

He nods his head and soon enough the two of you have made it to Roscoe, where there was, in fact, a flannel for you to use. You’d shrugged it on and pulled it tightly across your body, “Guess we’ll never know will we Batman?”

The drive to the school is silent and somewhat tense and you’re not sure what it is that you’re gonna find. Whatever it is though you’re pretty sure it’s not gonna be good.

When the two of you make it into the building, Stiles leads you right back to the chemistry room. They hadn’t erased the board earlier that day and so the numbers are right there next to your writing.

Stiles is looking at the numbers like he doesn’t believe what he sees before he picks up a piece of chalk himself. Writing next to the numbers, he writes the same exact numbers before stepping back.

The writing on the chalkboard had been his writing.


	21. Chapter 21

Isaac checked his phone again, waiting to see if Derek or the twins would send him a text. Hell, he’d even accept something from Peter if it meant that he got an update about Natasha .

After the things had disappeared and the dust had settled at the loft, they had all noticed that Natasha and Stiles were missing from the room. Allison had asked about Lydia and Aiden had said that Danny had taken her when Derek ran everyone out. Personally, Isaac had figured that Stiles had gone with Danny to help the redhead.

But that meant that Natasha was missing.

When he had asked about her, Scott had said she’d arrived with him, Kira and Stiles but that he hadn’t seen her since they had gotten to the party and she had gone to change. Aiden said he’d seen her having a soda, which he was sure was for Derek’s benefit but had lost her in the crowd about an hour or so ago.

Derek had called Peter who had promptly lost his mind and showed up while Allison was trying to get a hold of her dad. The two of them and the twins were searching the area for Natasha to be sure that those things hadn’t harmed her.

He’d wanted to stay but with Allison’s Dad not picking up, the brunette was getting worried. She wanted to go look for him and, seeing as she had been just about ready to bolt out the door, Isaac decided to go with her.

They had decided to start at the Penthouse, see if they could find a scent to follow or some other kind of clue as to where he’d gone. It was a good thing too because when they’d come in they’d found him on the floor.

Allison had paled at the sight and he had heard her heartbeat spike for just a moment before she’d taken a deep breath and collected herself. It hadn’t taken them long to get Argent back on his feet. While they were getting Argent cleaned up, Scott had shown up, wanting to help out.

The four of them had made their way to Argent’s study, or home office where he was currently sharing the story of the one time he had apparently almost been killed by these things.

A ding went off on his phone and he looked down to check

Derek: Nothing yet, will keep you posted.

Biting back a growl, he had to remind himself that there wasn’t a whole lot that he could do at this point but let Derek look for her. So, he turned his attention back to Argent’s story.

“There was something almost ritualistic about it. Like it was looking right into his soul.

Feeling an icy shiver run down his spine at the memory, Isaac said, “That’s the same thing it did to me.”

Allison points out that they had done that to everyone but Scott points out that it was only the werewolves… and Lydia.

Trying to put the pieces together, Isaac hears Argent point out that they would have gone after anyone with a connection to the supernatural.

Asking about the guy in Japan, Isaacs not at all surprised to find out that Allison’s dad had sold guns to the Yakuza. Though it did serve as a reminder not to piss the man off.

“The moment the sun went down, it was like they just materialized out of the shadows. They had swords. Not curved like katanas but straight black steel like ninjatos.”

Those things had apparently been after the Kumicho, who was apparently the boss of the group that Argent met with and it had gotten through everyone. Cutting through the gangsters like it was nothing.

Hearing Argent’s story, the mark on the back of his ear suddenly found like a brand. Touching it, he asked, “Did they mark him like they did us?”

Of course, they didn’t. Allison’s dad told them about how the things had made their way through the group and when they had gotten to the Kumicho they had all taken their swords and impaled the man who was apparently not just human. Which, in Isaacs opinion, really wasn’t that surprising if he thought about it.

Though Chris had no idea what the creatures were he did think that there was someone that might know what they were or, at least what they hunted. He’d apparently spent yesterday trying to find this man, Katashi.

“Didn’t look like he wanted to be found.” Isaac pointed out, considering the way they’d found the older man this morning. Considering how long ago this deal had taken place, Isaac wasn’t sure that this guy would actually be their best bet so he asked, “What if he doesn’t remember you?”

Pulling out a box, Argent responds, ‘He’ll remember this.” In the box are the broken fragments of one of the creatures masks. Isaac can’t help the involuntary shiver that runs down his spine as he remembers the night before.

“I know I didn’t kill it. I’m not sure you can. But I slowed it down long enough for us to get out of there.”

When Scott asked what was behind the mask, Argent responded with, “Darkness. Absolute darkness.”

The room was silent as they each took in what that meant. Alisson reached out and he took her hand in his, holding tightly as he tried to reassure her that they would be fine regardless of what happened. His phone went off again and this time, it was a phone call from Derek.

He let go of Allison’s hand and walked out of the room, answering the line as he went. Putting the phone up to his ear, he listened to the other line.

“Ok so she’s nowhere in the Iron Heads and we couldn’t find her near the loft. The thing is that her bike is here-”

“Well, what about your jeep? Or Peters car?”

“Also here. Though that may not mean too much seeing as how the twins say she’s been getting rides from Stiles lately.”

“What does that have to do with anything?’

“Well if she left with Stiles and Lydia it makes sense that she would have gone in his jeep.” He can hear the frustration in Derek’s voice as he tries to explain it and Isaac is just going to follow that train of thought.

“But we don’t know that she did leave with Stiles.” Isaac’s pointing out before he can really think it through. Not that he wants to think too much about it.

“Aiden’s gonna go check on Lydia and see if she’s there at the same time.”

He couldn’t help the scoff that left him, “You know he doesn’t care right? He’s just trying to get Lydia to keep sleeping with him and Scott to take him in.”

The growl on the other end of the line surprises him but before he can comment on it, Derek’s saying “I don’t really care what his reasonings are right now. If Natasha is there then that’s fine.”

Before he can respond, Derek’s hung up the phone and all he’s getting is a dial tone. Pursing his lips, he turns to go back into the study where Scott is excusing himself from them and headed out.

Allison looks at him, the question evident on her face and he shakes his head.

“They still haven’t found her?” 

“Nope.”

The brunette looks to her dad then to him before she nods her head as she walks past him, grabbing his arm and pulling him along, “Let’s go then.”

This, this right here is why Isaac can’t help but like the girl. She’s got a big heart and is always willing to go help out her friends. A smile tugs at his lips as they make their way towards the elevator. She must have seen the look because she’s raising an eyebrow at him and he has to drop the smile, shaking his head as he mutters that it’s nothing.

While the two of them are getting into the elevator, his phone starts ringing. Pulling it out and looking at the caller ID he sees that Sties’ contact name and forwards the call. The spastic boy probably wants to complain about Aiden and he doesn’t want to hear it. He needs to go find Natasha.

A moment later, Stiles is calling again and Isaac has to take a deep breath. Answering the line, he growls out, “What?”

“Ok first of all Rude, you don’t greet people that way. Second, good morning to you too sunshine. Third, are you with Scott?”

“Wait, Tasha?”

“Obviously.” She sounds irritable, that can’t be good.

“Wait why are you calling me from Stiles’ phone?”

“Something came up so we left the party go check out a lead on Barrow. My phone died and is currently charging up to turn back on. So, are you with Scott or Alli?”

“Allison.”

He could hear a groan on the other side of the line before Natasha is asking, “Have you guys seen Scott? He’s not answering his cell.”

“Umm, he just left a few minutes ago. I’m guessing he’s riding right now which would keep him from answering.”

Another groan from the other line surprised him as he could have sworn he heard her cursing under her breath. “Alright, we’ll just catch him at school then.” He then hears her shouting at Stiles, she’s telling him to get something together and that they’ll have to finish the argument at the school. Apparently, Scott’s going to agree with her for whatever it is.

He looks over at Allison who’s trying very hard not to laugh if all the snickering she’s doing is any indication. A moment later, she’s calling his name and when he acknowledges her, she says that they’re going to have to talk later. 

The pitch in her voices surprises him and when he asks if she’s okay she gets silent for a moment.

“Tasha?”

“I’m not sure yet. I gotta go though, see you later. ”

The line goes dead before he can respond and Allison allows the laughs that she was holding back to escape. When he looks at her, she just shakes her head. “Tasha was with Stiles?”

“Apparently so,” he says softly with a nod of his head.

Allison’s smile gets wider and she claps her hands together. When he asks what it is, she merely shakes her head, “I think they’re cute together.”

He can’t help the scoff that escapes him, “Nope. She’s too good for him.”

Allison gives him a look that says, really? And he shakes his head, “I’m serious! Tasha’s is smart, strong, passionate, and a freaking badass.”

Allison’s laugh doesn’t surprise him and he can feel a shiver run down his spine when she leans in and places a hand on his chest. “You know,” she begins, “if I didn’t know better, I’d say you like her.”

He has a moment of panic and moves to look down at her but she’s got a smile on her lips her nose is scrunched up that adorable way that tells him she’s joking. Leaning forward, he kisses her nose. “I am serious though,” he says softly to her.

“So am I. You can’t tell me that you haven’t noticed them spending more time together. Or that he’s always got a smile on when she’s around.”

“Well, he needs to stop. He’d better get his head out of whatever fantasy it’s in. They can be friends but that’s it.”

Allison laughs as she leans back, “So, who should she date?”

He doesn’t like the question. Natasha isn’t here to just date someone. She’s gonna meet someone and it’s basically going to change the rest of her life.

Shaking his head, he doesn’t know how to answer but Allison is looking at him expectantly so he clears his throat, “What about Johnson?”

Allison laugher and kisses his cheek, “it’s a good thing you’re cute.”

Scotts on his way to the school when the twins pull up on either side of him. Groaning, he speeds up to try and outrun them but they catch up and end up parking next to him in the lot.

Sighing, he pulls off his helmet and looks at them, “You guys gonna be doing this all day?”

“All day.”

“All night.”

Scott has to bite back a groan of frustration but he remembers that they had been helping Derek. “So, did you guys end up finding Natasha?” Though he wasn’t very close to her he had noticed that Stiles was getting closer to it. He just hoped that it was more because he enjoyed spending time with the girl and not because he was trying to keep an eye on her.

Aiden’s the one to respond, “She’s actually looking for you.” Scotts confusion must be evident on his face because a moment later Aiden continues, “Derek said she called Lahey trying to get a hold of you.

“Besides, in case you’ve forgotten, you are the target of demonic ninjas.”

“You mean the demonic ninjas that pulled swords out of their chests and completely kicked our asses?”

“Yea! Those demonic ninjas.”

Scott, while appreciative of the thought, doesn’t really think that he needs the protection and says so.

Ethan looks at him like he’s lost his mind before saying, “They were looking right at you when the sun came up.”

“And they also disappeared,” Scott returns with a shrug, “`Argent thinks they just come out at night.”

Ethan, however, is having none of it. “Since this is our first experience with demonic ninjas, we’re thinking we should play it safe.”

“All day,” Aiden points out.

Scott, realizing they’re right, lets out a sigh, “And all night.”

The three of them get off the bikes and make their way into the school. As they walk, Scott asks about Aiden’s comment about Natasha looking for him.

“According to Derek, she is.”

“He say why?” When neither one of them answers he turns to look at Aiden.

“What?”

“You talk to her more than your brother.”

“Doesn’t mean I know anything. She and I aren’t exactly the best of friends. Have you checked with Stilinski?”

Scotts surprised and furrows his brow, “I thought he was with Lydia?”

“If he was, he wasn’t there when I swung by.” Aiden shrugged. His voice was slightly defensive, almost as if he was daring the Alpha to say something about the fact that he had spent time with the redhead. Scott, for his part, decided not to address the tone. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Aiden’s feelings towards his banshee friend but he trusted her enough to make her own decisions about where to go from here.

Sighing, Scott realized that the three of them have made it into the school. “Ok, so Aiden, you and Ethan see if you can get a hold of Natasha. Then we can all get together and she can tell me whatever it is that she needs to tell me but first, I need to talk to Stiles and let him know everything that happened last night. Without you.”

“No.”

“Yes,” Scott shot back as something occurred to him, “And I don’t want you listening in. No wolf hearing.”

“How would you even know?”

“I’m a True Alpha. You have no idea what I can do.” Scott shuts his locker and steps away. Making his way down the halls, it takes him a moment to realize that the twins have fallen in step just behind him on either side and just behind.

When he stops to question them, It’s Aiden who responds, “You said to find Natasha. Well, if Stiles isn’t with Lydia then my money’s on him being with her.”

Scott’s silent for a moment but as soon as he realizes that Aiden’s right he chuckles softly,. “So find Natasha, find Stiles. Well, then you two get going. See if you can find anything on these- demonic ninjas.”

Ethan, he can feel, is ready to argue but Scott watches as Aiden grabs his brothers arm and agrees with Scott. Aiden tugs Ethan backward and soon enough, the two of them are making their way down the hallway that leads towards the library. It doesn’t escape his notice that Aiden was, shockingly, the calmer of the two twins.

Turning, he makes his way through the hallways looking for both Stiles and Natasha.


	22. Chapter 22

“Stiles, there’s absolutely no way you did this,” you say as you follow after him in the hallways. He’s looking for Scott still and you’re not sure that he heard you. He’s pacing back and forth in front of the doors and you grab his arm as you call his name again. **  
**

When he turns to face you again, you can see the terror, exhaustion and worry reflected in his brown eyes. You take both his hands in yours and pulling them up, you kiss his knuckles. You can see the shock on his face and go to say something reassuring when Scott’s calling his name.

Stiles quickly pulls his hands from yours and is making his way towards Scott. You turn around to follow and soon enough the three of you are back in the Chemistry room.

“So, Natasha and I were…” he trails off and looks at you, almost as if he’s unsure how to describe what happened between the two of you. You don’t want to push him in either direction and so you wait for him to make the decision when he doesn’t say anything after a moment, Scott’s calling for his attention again.

Stiles is shaking his head, coming back to the moment in front of him and licks his lips. “Natasha and I were hanging out and…” you can feel a knot form in your stomach and wondered if he was embarrassed at having kissed you. Stiles, however, continues, “So she was talking about phosphors and the key having chemicals on it right?”

The two of them were lost in conversation and Stiles didn’t notice the board, but you did. You try to grab his attention but he doesn’t notice you.

“And so that made me, well us, think of the chemistry closet and the fact that someone had to let Barrow in,” he continues before turning to look at the board he sees that it had been erased. He takes a step towards it before turning and going back towards you.

Scott gives you a questioning look but before you can answer, Stiles has bumped into you on his way to the chemistry closet, “I’ve still got the key,” he says as he digs into his pants.

Scott continues to look at you and you just shake your head. _Wait for it,_ you mouth to the Alpha. A moment later Stiles is stepping backward “I swear to God I had it this morning.”

You turn to him and can feel the surprise on your face. A moment later, it seems that Scott understands what’s going on. “The key you were talking about last night?”

Stiles is tense when he replies, “Yeah, I showed it to you right?” When Scott didn’t reply you held your breath, he had to have seen the key, right? “Didn’t I show it to you?” Stiles asks softly, the panic starting to creep into his voice.

“No,” Scott replies and you can feel your heart drop, “you just told me about it. I never actually saw it.”

“But I did,” you say dragging their attention back to you, “I saw the key. Stiles, maybe you dropped it?”

Stiles gives you a look and you see him clench his fist as he looked at you his lips twisted and his brow furrowed, “And how exactly would I have done that Natasha?” The accusation in his voice and frustration makes your lip curl up unexpectedly.

Your first instinct is to fight him on this but you realize that’s not going to do anyone any good. More importantly, your wolf reminds, that’s not what Stiles needs right now. Right now, he needs someone to be on his side. To be there for him.

Stiles has already turned around and is moving towards the front of the classroom. “We were both here a couple of hours ago. And the message left to Barrow spelling Kira’s name was right there on the board. You saw it. It was in my handwriting. I had the key to the chemistry closet.”

“Stiles it doesn’t mean that you’re trying to hurt anyone,” you say softly, taking a step towards him. Before you can say anything else though, Scott has stepped in between the two of you.

“So, you unlocked the chemistry closet so Barrow could hide from the cops and then you wrote him a message to kill Kira?” Scott asks, his voice is calm but the disbelief is evident and you’re grateful for it.

“I know, I know how it sounds but,” he looks at you and sticks out his hand, “Natasha give me the article.”

‘Stiles I don’t have it,” you say with a shake of your head.

“What do you mean, I -” a look of recognition seems to go through his eye and he’s reaching into his pockets a moment later. Pulling out the crumpled paper, he shows it to Scott. “This is the news report that came out about Barrow when they caught him, okay? About the shrapnel bomb he used.”

“Stiles,” you begin only to be cut off.

“Natasha, it was nuts, bolts, and screws. He hid the bomb and the detonator in a box he wrapped as a birthday present. What does that sound like to you?”

It takes the Alpha just a moment to figure it out. It’s the same thought you had had, it sounds like the joke you’d all played on Coach. You had been arguing with Stiles all morning that it was a coincidence. That he hadn’t done anything to hurt anyone and he’s not the one responsible for Barrow going after Kira.

Scott, bless his soul, tells Stiles, “I agree with her. I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to tell you that you’re wrong but I don’t think you’re trying to kill people either.”

Stiles looks from the board back to Scott while muttering under his breath.

“Dude, are you feeling okay? You’re looking really tired.”

“Yeah, I’m fine I just haven’t been sleeping really…”

Scott looks between Stiles and the board and makes a decision, “Why don’t you go home? Take a sick day or something.” It’s not a suggestion but a command. One that Stiles doesn’t seem to want to listen to but then he looks at the board before agreeing.

He starts to walk out of the room, forgetting his backpack and so you call his name.

Stiles stops before turning around to face you. By this time, you’ve already picked up his backpack and are holding your hand out. He tilts his head at you and you simply say, “Keys.”

“What, no!”

“Stilinski, give me the keys.”

“You have class.”

“Nope, I have a friend that is not feeling well and I am gonna take him home and make sure that he gets some sleep.”

“Scott, tell her that she needs to stay. I’ll be fine.” Stiles pleads with the Alpha and Scott looks between the two of you.

You shake your head and click your tongue, “Scott don’t even try it. You may be an Alpha but you’re not my Alpha.” Turning your gaze to the brunette, you say “Let’s go Stilinski. Either you come willingly or I tie you up and throw you in the backseat.”

He looks like he wants to argue and you raise an eyebrow at him, daring him to fight you on this. For a moment it looks like neither one of you is gonna give in but Scott’s chuckling catches your attention.

Turning to look at him, you see Stiles’ head turn towards Scott as well.

“Stiles, that’s basically the same thing you told her the other day when Isaac asked you to give her a ride,” Scott points out.

You and Stiles both shake your head. He turns to look at you and while you’re not sure what his look actually says, it only takes a moment before he’s letting out a sigh and handing you the keys.

“Thank you.”

The two of you are making your way out to the parking lot when you hear someone calling your name. Stopping, the two of you turn to find the twins headed your way. Stiles lets out an audible huff of frustration and you tilt your head as the twin’s step towards the two of you. 

“Did you find Scott?” Aiden asks, eyes flicking from you to Stiles.

You’re surprised to hear that they knew you were looking for the Alpha but nod your head and tell them you had. Aiden goes to ask you something more but suddenly Scotts there and calling for the twins.

The five of you are all looking at each other and you can feel the tension in the air. You look between Scott and then the Twins. Stiles is standing stiffly next to you and you’re waiting to see a fight break out when Scott breaks the tension.

“Natasha let me know when you get Stiles home safely, yeah?”

You can hear Stiles’ scoff and can only imagine that he’s not excited at the idea of someone having to take care of him. It’s very much the same as with your brothers. You’re trying to figure out what you can say to smooth over any tension or ruffled feathers when Scott speaks up again.

“Stiles, you make sure that she stays safe too. You both look exhausted and I don’t need either one of you crashing.”

You can see Stiles nod his head in your periphery and soon enough the two of you are making your way to Roscoe. As you get to the jeep, Stiles moves ahead of you and opens the front door. Before he can get in, you’re huffing at him and trying to maneuver in front of him. “Oh, no you don’t Stilinski. I mean it, I will knock you over the head and throw you in the backseat,” you tell him as you poke him in the chest.

Stiles just laughs and when you look at him, he puts his hands up in surrender. “I was just gonna open the door for you Little Wolf.”

Shaking your head, you offer a nod of acceptance and jump into the driver’s seat. Stiles closes the door and you wait for him to climb into the passenger seat. It’s not your bike and, if you’re honest, your not that comfortable in the caged car but you pull out of the lot nonetheless, and start making your way towards the Stilinski household.

As you’re driving, a silence falls over the two of you. For your part, it feels somewhat strained and you’re sure that Stiles feels the same way as you can hear his fingers tapping along the window.

You don’t like it.

Just as you’re about to say something to break the tension, he speaks up. “Could we go to the hospital instead of the house?”

You’re surprised by the request but nod your head. “Yea… Yea that’s fine. Do you think it’s something serious? Should I call your dad? What about Scott?”

“No, no, nothing like that. I don’t think so. I’m just gonna see if Dr. Gardner is in. See if maybe they have any idea what’s going on. But we don’t need to worry my dad or Scott.”

“Alright then.”

The silence falls between the two of you again but, surprisingly, neither one of you seems to feel the need to fill it. You’re not comfortable but somehow adding the radio to it feels wrong. So you continue to drive in silence.

As you come to a red light, your phone buzzes against your leg. Picking it up, you look down to see that you have a text from Aiden saying that he needs to meet up with you.

Sighing, you send him a quick text telling him to meet you at the hospital when he gets out of school. You’re not sure how long Stiles is going to take with his doctor or how long he’ll be at the hospital in general but you have no intention of leaving him to deal with whatever this is on his own.

As you and Stiles made your way towards the hospital, the silence suddenly becomes tense. It makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and you can feel yourself squirm into the seat.

“Hey, Natasha…” his voice is soft, it almost sounds like he’s unsure of reaching out to you when you turn to look at him, he continues, “Are you ok?”

You can feel the confusion echo on your face, a look your sure is becoming somewhat familiar to your features and you don’t like it, before nodding your head, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, you’ve winced a couple times today not to mention you were just whimpering.”

You can feel yourself warm in embarrassment and you have to shake your head a couple times, “It’s just been a long few days apparently and I must have slept wrong or something.”

The look that Stiles gives you tells you that he doesn’t believe you. He knows there’s more to it but, thankfully, he doesn’t push. It seems that he’s going to let you keep your secrets to yourself, at least for now.

The jeep quiet downs again before he says “Little Wolf…” You’re making a right-hand turn and so you quirk your eyebrow up at him. Peter and Derek are the only ones that really use that nickname for you and even then, it’s more a Peter thing. Stiles’ cheeks flush pink and he clears his throat, “Natasha… I mean. I - well, that is… I wanted to ask you about the thing that happened last night.”

“Stiles, I am telling you the phosphors could have -” but he’s shaking his head and cutting you off.

“That’s not what I mean. I meant.. The ummm, the other thing.”

You’re not looking at him but you can feel his gaze on you and your heart begins to race in your chest and you nod your head, “Okay…”

“I just, I didn’t tell Scott and it’s not that-”

“Stiles it’s okay. It was a one-time thing, right? You don’t have to tell him.” you rush out. “Besides I shouldn’t have kissed you, to begin with. It was… wrong.” This is not the conversation that you expected to have and while it’s not unexpected you’re not interested in being told that he’s not into you.

You’ve seen the way that he looks at you, Kira, and Allison versus the way that he looks at Lydia. It would be silly to think that a shared moment where you were buzzed and basically threw yourself at him would have been interpreted in any way, shape, or form as appropriate.

Pulling into the parking stall outside the hospital, you don’t give Stiles much of a chance to respond as you’re jumping off Roscoe and making your way towards the hospital entrance.

“Natasha!” he calls and you feel his hand wrapped around your bicep.

Turning to him, you avoid his gaze and let out a sigh. “Stiles can we not,” you say softly, “Obviously whatever happened wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m not mad about it. I swear, I shouldn’t have kissed you without your permission.”

Turning back towards the hospital entrance you pull him along, “Let’s go see if Dr. Gardner is in and then we need to get you to the house so you can get some sleep.”

“And where do you plan on going?” There’s a challenge in his voice that you’re going to meet.

Turning to him you give him your best smirk, “Oh you’re not getting rid of me that easily Batman. Scott said to keep you safe.”

“Not what he said and besides I thought you said he wasn’t your Alpha. ”

“Close enough,” you shrug, “and no he is not my Alpha but you, sire, have unfortunately found yourself in a position of friend which means you’re stuck with overprotective little old me. Just cause we had an awkward moment does not mean that we stop being friends. It just means we’ve talked about it and moved on.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Stiles w** aited for Melissa to go through the appointments list. Hopefully, Dr. Gardner is in today and has something so that they can meet.

As he waits, he looks over to see Natasha sitting in one of the waiting area chairs, a magazine in her hand. She must be able to feel his gaze because a moment later she’s looking up and offering him a small smile.

Returning the gesture, he thinks that he really needs to clarify the kiss with her. It had been unexpected, sure but not unwanted. In fact, it might be something that he’d like to do again and again and again… If she’d let him.

“Dr. Gardner’s not back until next week,” Melissa says, pulling his attention back to her. “Do you wanna try waiting for one of the urgent care doctors or….” she trails off.

Stiles is shaking his head and saying no very softly as he steps backward. Melissa calls his name, asking if he’s ok and suddenly she is there with him. He shakes his head, “I… I don’t know. Yeah… I guess. I guess not really.”

He can feel her take his hand and he looks at her and shakes his head, he needs to tell her. He goes to say something but Melissa is pushing on his side, moving him towards some rooms. He begins to walk and can feel Natasha’s hand loosen so he tightens his hold on her, having her follow them.

Melissa takes him to one of the patient rooms, room 315, and while Natasha stands at the doorway, Melissa sits him on the bed she settles him and looks over to the door. He’s sure that she’s going to tell her to go. Patient confidentiality and all that so he asks if she can stay.

Melissa looks at him before nodding and asking about what he’s been experiencing lately.

“Blackouts. But not for that long… And sleepwalking, which I used to do a lot as a kid. Ummm… Also having some really bad anxiety,” he lists off for her.

Melissa turns to him, “Panic attacks?”

“Yeah, a couple,” he nods his head. As Melissa writes, he remembers something else, “Oh, and I temporarily lost the ability to read. But that might have had more to do with this giant magic tree and a whole human sacrifice thing.” He’s frustrated with the situation. If it’s not one thing then it’s another.

When Melissa finds out that he’s only had 8 hours of sleep in the last three days, she looks to Natasha who nods her head in confirmation. He looks down at his hands and begins to count the fingers. He’s not sure if he’s confirming that he’s awake or that it was actually 8 hours of sleep but he confirms the 8 hours of sleep portion.

Melissa walks away from him, rummaging through the cabinet and asks if he’d been irritable. He confirms, “Possibly to the point of homicide.”

“Stiles… that’s not what that was..” Natasha is saying. She sounds annoyed with him but how can she be so sure that he hadn’t hurt anyone? It was his writing. He had had the key

He can see Melissa looking between the two of them before she asks if he’s been able to focus. He shakes his head, the Adderall hadn’t been working and he tells her so.

“Impulsive behavior?”

“More than my usual? Hard to tell.” He’s trying to remain calm, trying to not be frustrated but the next question from Melissa and he’s saying, “Basically all the above. Do you know what this is?”

“I think so,” she says with a nod and a shot in her hand.

He eyes the needle and can feel his heart race picking up before looking at her, “What is that?”

“Do you trust me?”

“When you’re not holding a needle.”

“It’s Midazolam,” Melissa tells him as she gives him a shot of the liquid, “A sedative.” When he asks about why he’s receiving it, she tells him “You, Stiles, are one profoundly sleep-deprived young man. You need rest, and you need it now.”

He can feel her pushing him to lay on the bed and his eyes are heavy.

_Annoyed, angry, ready to murder a being older than time itself. All of these sound like very good ideas. His wolves have always been ready for the things that they have to face. But this time, this time those women are not letting one of his pups prepare for what is to come._

_And that’s part of the problem, she is still a pup and yet the Nornirs have decided that she will have to deal with a damn fox. A groan escapes his lips as he weaves through the mountain. The path has long since faded from the naked eye but he remembers it well._

_Not only has he, himself, traveled it many times but he has protected his warriors when they have taken this particular path._

_As he walks the mountain path, he can see a figure that is following him. There’s something about the figure that’s not quite there completely so he pays it no real mind. If it were to attack him, well he is Odin and a great warrior on his own. As he makes his way to the place he is looking for, the winds pick up and the skies open up to rain. It would seem the Nornirs are not too happy that he is coming. He pulls his cloak tighter to him and mutters a spell to repel the water and keep the figure following him dry as he continues his climb._

_Finally, after hours of climbing, he reaches the entrance to their home. Climbing in, he is treated to the beautiful receiving room of the Nornirs. Removing his hood, he calls out, “Verðandi! Skuld!”_

_They know he is here, of that he is sure. But, they make him wait. He’s often wondered if they make him wait to remind him of his own mortality or if it is because they genuinely are working towards the things that are coming into being and moving people into place for the things that will eventually be._

_The room is silent and still, as if it is holding its breath before a silver mist flows into the room. It swirls and compacts into the form of a giantess. “Verðandi,” he greets while bowing his head in respect, he waits for the second form to appear._

_It’s not long before the second giantess appears and he greets her in the same way, bowing his head in respect._

_“What brings the All-Father to journey below the roots of Yggdrasil?” Verðandi begins, a cheshire smile on her lips._

_Knowing he must tread carefully, Odin goes to respond but Skuld is laughing. It irks him. But, he is here to request a gift so it would be better to not insult the Nornirs by telling her to shut up. So, biting his tongue, he waits for her to stop laughing to say something but she doesn’t give him the chance. “He’s here to ask us to spare his child the fox.”_

_“Now, why would we do that?” Verðandi asks, her voice is falsely innocent and sweet._

_“She is just a pup!” he reminds them. “This one that you have chosen for her! He’s not yet reached his potential! He has so much more to learn about our world, about his own abilities and skills before he is ready to face this with any real chance of survival! Would you really condemn them both?”_

_They’re laughing. Full belly laughs that turn into mad cackles and he’s wondering what would happen to Miðgarðr if one, or both, of these beings, were to cease._

_It’s as he’s contemplating the ways in which one could kill a Nornir that suddenly, Skuld has wrapped her hand around his neck and is squeezing. He grabs her wrist and she lets his hand go before taking a step back._

_“Do you really believe we do not know what we are doing? We have paired many of your children before and you did not question, not even when they were the favorite of the Greeks or the Egyptians,” as she spoke, her presence became heavier within the room. “The one we have chosen for her has their tests in front of them. Did you ever consider the possibility that this will help mold them into what the other needs?” Odin watched as Verðandi came up beside her and the two joined hands._

_The silver mist they had formed from returned, this time there were other colors interwoven into the mist. When the Nornirs spoke, it was both Verðandi and Skuld, their voices becoming one, loud and booming, “The child of Odin, Alpha in their own right will face the fox. Should the child fail, death will be imminent.”_

_Feeling the ice run down his spine, Odin nods his head. Regardless of what he wants, fate has been set and he will have to let it play out. “Can we at least give them a fighting chance?”_

_They look at him before fading away. As they leave, however, the words **We are not beholden to the All-Father** are spoken, left to echo in the cave._

Stiles knows he’s dreaming which is frustrating. Thankfully, this dream doesn’t seem like the ones he had before they’d saved Malia - there was something more, observatory, about this. He had been pulled along as a cloaked figure climbed a practically dead mountain. Trying to place the mountain, Stiles realized that he had no idea where he’d seen it in real life. Perhaps it had been in a movie?

The figure had weaved in and out of the trees and bushes, through rain and thunder before reaching a cave entrance. When the figure had entered the cave, Stiles had been pulled in with it only to find himself in a really interesting room. It’s got a really old feeling to it but everything feels powerful. It sort of reminds of him of when Scott’s in Alpha mode but it’s so much - more than that at the same time.

The figure that he had been following up the mountain path removed his hood and Stiles is able to see that it’s a man. He calls out two names, Verðandi and Skuld. Somehow, Stiles knows that these are the Norns. He’d read about them, they’re basically the fates of Norse Mythology though he thought there were supposed to be three of them?

Stiles watches as two very tall, very intimidating women seem to materialize out of almost nothing. They have a conversation with the man who, Stiles is able to piece together, is apparently Odin. He’s pleading with them about someone. There’s something coming and Stiles is sure that it can’t be good if this god is asking the fates to intervene.

Stiles has a realization that this may not actually be a dream but maybe something more. He has a terrible feeling of uneasiness when he sees the woman disappear, their words echoing throughout the room forebodingly, We are not beholden to the All-Father.

Stiles suddenly has the need to escape the place. He has enough supernatural drama to deal with. He doesn’t want to add more to it by There was a chittering noise and Stiles turned around, trying to locate the source only to find himself in a lavish hall.

The sound of clanging metal, grunting, roaring, and crazed laughter fills his ears as he watches both men and women fight against each other with all kinds of weaponry. Suddenly a man with brunette hair grabs him by the arm and swings him around. Cupping Stiles’ face this man begins bellowing loudly at him. It takes Stiles by surprise for just a moment before he returns the bellow without a second thought.

Suddenly, the man is chuckling as he lets him go and claps him on the back. “You are going to be just fine young one,” he says as he moves to sit on one of the chairs and motions for Stiles to do the same.

Hesitantly, Stiles decides to go ahead and take a seat next to the man. “Who are you?”

“Just a humble servant of the gods.”

“The gods? Don’t you mean Odin?”

“Ah so you do know the gods!” the man giggles and claps as if he’s giddy at the prospect itself.

Stiles is confused but doesn’t have a chance to really ask any questions before someone has knocked him off his chair and onto the ground. Suddenly he sees the glint of metal and instinctively puts up his arm to try and block the metal.

There’s a wooden shield on his arm and he actually has to brace towards the weight of an ax being swung at him. Sitting upwards, he shuffles backward and tries to stand up when the ax comes at him again. This time, he’s ready for it though and can at least stand in place.

The man that had swung the ax at him pulls it back and lets out a hearty laugh. Stiles is wondering what insanity is going through this man’s head when the guy that had been talking to him earlier claps him on the shoulder.

“Ragnar! Leave the child alone. He’s not dead yet” he scolds and Stiles looks at the guy, Floki.

Floki looks at him and begins to giggle before they’re all sitting around a table. As they’re eating he hears someone calling his name. The fighting around him dies down and Stiles turns to see the man from earlier calling him. Odin.

“You know me?”

“How long have you been here?”

“Where is here? Cause a moment ago, there was some cave room thing and then I’ve got- Floki here terrifying and,” he looks at the other guy, trying to remember the name, “Ragnar here trying to kill me with an ax and now there’s this.”

Some people around him chuckled and he could have sworn that he heard the name Valhalla which he figured would make sense. It would also really suck because from what he knew of the place it would mean that he was dead.

Odin, for some reason, is now sitting next to him and Stiles is not sure how that happened but figures that being a god has something to do with it. Stiles looks at him and nods his head, not sure what else to do but he does want to know, “Am I dead?”

Odin laughs and “No child, I would argue that you are more alive than you’ve ever been. The Space between life and death, that’s where we are most alive… But, you have challenges coming your way young one. Remember that where a fox’s ears are a fox’s teeth are near.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Stiles asks as he can’t seem to really get his mind wrapped around what the god is saying.

“Do you have any idea of what you are?”

“I’m just a human. I’m not anything more,” he says with a shrug of his shoulder.

Odin smacks his shoulder and Stiles can’t help the grunt that escapes his lips. “What is up with everyone smacking my shoulder here?”

“Bah! You’re fine child. But you’re so much more than just a human Stiles. Don’t forget that. People will always underestimate you. Especially the supernatural, they will think that you are not a threat, but I know differently. You have many gifts, what is in here,” He watches Odin point to his head and then his heart.” is a gift. You do not think like the others. That will serve you well. Let them underestimate you. But I know better- you have the heart of a warrior here.”

Stiles looks at Odin and nods his head. The gods apparently telling him that there’s a whole new storm coming their way and Stiles isn’t sure that he wants to deal with it but apparently, he has no choice.

Odin offers him a curved horn and Stiles takes it. Unsurprisingly, there’s a sweet drink inside. As he goes to lift the drink to his lips, he hears “Skol!” which is then repeated by everyone in the room. Stiles is surprised but repeats the sentiment before lifting the drink with them and the rest of the room begins to disperse into their own things.

He finds that he’s sitting with Floki and Ragnar. They’re sitting there with him and they’re sharing stories. Stiles is listening to stories of raiding and travels of the world. As they’re talking about the different stories, Stiles finds himself being pulled further and further into them .

“Ragnar,” the ax man begins, “how is Lagertha?”

Ragnar smiles and looks over towards a woman who is fighting with some other men and women. Stiles watches and sees as his lips quirk upwards, “She’s doing well. The woman is a true skjaldmær through and through.” There’s pride in his voice as he talks about the woman and a soon enough Ragnar is asking Floki about someone named Helga.

Floki is giggling, once again, and claps his hands. “I am sure that Freyja will allow me to see her soon. I have missed her.” Then, the insane man is looking at him, “What of you child? Have you found your woman?”

“Uh… Well what I mean is that there’s kind of… I mean there might be someone but umm.. Yeah.” he nods his head as if that’s enough of an explanation for the men.

Stiles watches as both of the men look at each other and then bust out laughing. He’s worried that they’re drunk and then they turn to him. “Be kind to her. She comes from a long line that has long been blessed by the Gods. She’s a Valkyrie amongst the living so you must remember that she is surrounded by death but she will always make the best choices.”

“Do you know who she is?”

“How would we know? We are simply Vikings in Valhalla. We do not see the rest of the world.”

“Just remember, warriors, do not show their heart until the ax reveals it.” Loki laughs drumming his fingers together.

Stiles decides that he’s not gonna worry about the ramblings of an obviously insane man. So, he just continues to enjoy the food while observing the hall around him. Most of the people are fighting still, ignoring the food around them but there is one man who catches Stiles’ attention.

The man in question wouldn’t have stood out so much had it not been for the fact that he seemed to be eating and drinking everything he could get his hands on. Stiles found it odd but then figured that this was just the way some people are here.

Returning to his conversation, he’s not sure how long he’s spent talking to the two when suddenly, there’s liquid all over the table. Shoving himself away from it, he looks over to see the same man that had been devouring everything in his reach is now eating the food around him.

He’s drinking from one of the chalices only to toss it to the side and grab another and then another.

“Whoa, buddy, ya thirsty?”

“Oh, you have no idea.” the man grins at him, yellowed teeth prominently on display before he licks his lips, “I’m insatiable.” 


	24. Chapter 24

You watch as Melissa gives Stiles a shot that knocks him out. When she tucks him in, you hear him thank her but it’s what he calls her that surprises you. It apparently surprises her as well because she pauses before she finishes putting the blanket on him.

“You guys are really important to him, aren’t you?” you ask her softly, thinking of the way that Stiles trusts Scott and now this.

She looks at him, that adoring look that mothers have for all their kids gleaming in her eyes before she turns to you and nods her head. “He means just as much to us.”

She crosses the room and before you realize it, she’s put her hands on your shoulders and is directing you towards the chair in the room. You obligingly sit down, she cups your face and then looks you in the eye before her eyes are roving the rest of your face.

Confused, you sit there and basically allow her to complete her inspection of you. As she’s inspecting you she begins to ask questions, “So, you’re friends with Isaac?”

You nod your head and as she pulls back, she raises an eyebrow at you. “And you’re friends with Scott and Stiles?”

“I mean more Stiles than Scott I would say but I guess so,” you say with a shrug. Melissa tilts her head as she looks at you. The room is silent for a moment and you’re not sure what she’s thinking or what you’re supposed to say.

She shrugs her shoulders before grabbing the bottle she had used with Stiles the midazolam. At your questioning look, she says “You are almost as sleep deprived as Stiles and you, also, need your rest.”

You shake your head, “That Ummm, that won’t work on me.”

“Of course not. I forgot for a moment there.” She says with a sigh and sets both the needle and the vial down. She sighs and motions for you to follow her. It takes you a moment after she’s left, not sure that you like the idea of leaving Stiles on his own, but you follow the curly haired woman out and she shows you to another patient room.

Stepping into the room, you sit on the edge of the bed she motions to. She starts to ask you some basic questions and puts together a chart for you. You’re not sure you quite understand why seeing as you’re not being admitted but you go with it.

Once she’s asked you the questions that she needs to you ask if you can go back and check on Stiles. She gives you an odd look and you can feel your body warming. You’re about to try and make something up when she asks, “What is he to you?”

“My friend.”

She gave you a look like she was trying to decide if you were lying to her or not. Refusing to look away, you waited for her to push back. After a moment, she seems to make up her mind that you aren’t lying to her or that she’s going to accept your words as they are.

She nods her head and you thank her for her time before making your way back to room 315. Once you get there, you sit in one of the chairs against the wall and try to get as comfortable as possible. Pulling a notebook from your backpack, you open the page back up to the one of the weird vision or whatever it was you’d had when the electricity had struck you the night Barrow had kidnapped Kira.

Though you weren’t exactly sure what they all had in common you and Stiles had been able to find some myths that may have something to do with what you had seen. There was the story of Anansi, a West African trickster. One of his stories that fit because he’d apparently had to carry the coffin of a court jester after he’d killed him.

You know that Hermes’ Rod of Asclepius had been used to save you from the eagle which you’re not sure what that means. That was one of the things that also confused you, why would an eagle

Pulling out your phone, you looked up eagles and what they mean in different cultures. The problem is that there are so many of them. You weren’t sure what kind of eagle had been in the vision but the most popular it seemed was the Golden Eagle. Closer to home, there was the Eagle that sat on Yggdrasil. The First Nations people had their own stories about Eagles and each of those were as diverse as the groups of people they came from.

You’d written each of these down and some small descriptions for each over the course of an hour or so but none of them seemed to actually work or make sense to you. Crossing them out, you found yourself becoming increasingly more and more frustrated with what you had and what had been crossed out.

It didn’t take you long to figure out that you were on the wrong track with what you had found. Tearing out the paper and wadding it up, you growled as you thew it towards the trash bin. Of course, because that’s just the kind of luck you’d had recently, Melissa had opened the door without you noticed and you’d hit her in the head.

She stopped for a moment, surprise flickering across her features and was closer to the wad of paper, she bent to pick it up. “Paper giving you a hard time?”

Covering your face with your hands, you apologized to her before getting up and taking the paper from her. A sigh escapes your lips and you shake your head, “Not the paper. More just this- dream? That I had and there was a lot going on. Trying to figure out if any of it means anything.”

“Well, what was the dream about?”

You pause for a moment and look at her, she seems to recognize your hesitance because she holds her hand out in the typical “give me that” parental gesture you’ve seen so many times. Handing the paper over to her, you watch as she uncrumpled it and looks at the information you’ve written about what eagles can mean to different cultures.

“So umm, yeah… It was kind of weird but then aren’t all dreams? There was a spider with a box that Stiles and I have figured out seems to make the most sense with one of the stories associated with Anansi, a trickster. Then there was an eagle trying to kill me, it was this huge eagle that was swooping down like I was going to be this little field mouse for its dinner but it was then impaled by Hermes’ Rod of Asclepius.”

Melissa gave you a look that you could only describe as shocked. You chuckle and nod your head. “Pretty sure that would be my face if someone elsewhere to tell me the same thing. It was just so, weird. And then that tree that Stiles told you about?” You waited for her to nod her head, “The tree was there and so was,” you faltered mid-sentence. Unsure if you should tell Melissa it was Stiles.

“Stiles?” You looked at her and could feel yourself begin to panic.

“How did you-” you trailed off as you tilted your head in her, hands motioning towards her in your confusion.

Lifting her hand, Melissa counted off, “Well you haven’t left his side since he basically got here. Whenever Scott talks about Stiles nowadays your name comes up as well, he seems to be pretty attached to you, and you looked at him just now. So, what happened with Stiles?”

“He was at the tree, the Nemeton, surrounded by fireflies and a- umm a Valkyrie was reaching out towards him.”

“A Valkyrie?”

You have to think about it for a second, “Umm so they’re from the Norse pantheon. Basically, women who were the ones that choose which of the dead on a battlefield have earned a place amongst the warriors of Valhalla.”

Melissa raises an eyebrow at you like it’s not the craziest thing she’s heard but she really wishes it was. Waiting for her to respond, you flatten out the paper you’d been working on and put it back in the notebook, figuring you may get someth8ng more out of it later when you’re not as frustrated.

“You don’t think it was just any kind of dream do you?” She asked you softly, horror underlying her voice.

Sinking back down into the chair, rubbing your face, which is becoming a terrible habit, you run your nails across your scalp before responding, “It wasn’t a dream. It happened the night that we saved Kira from Barrow.” At Melissa’s look of confusion, you continued, “There was some kind of electrical thing and I must have gotten hit with some electricity cause the next thing I knew This is what I was seeing.”

“You think it was some kind of vision?” she asks and when you nod your head, she looks over to Stiles. “Is he in trouble?”

“I’m not sure. There was a reference to that trickster tale, but the Rod is a healers thing and I haven’t been able to figure out the eagle, the fireflies or the Valkyrie.”

“I thought you said the Valkyrie was Norse?”

“Yeah, but they’re supposed to be picking warriors for Valhalla. Why would there be one going after Stiles if he’s not dead?”

“So they only take the dead?”

“Ye-” you trailed off as you remembered the stories of Brünhild, the Valkyrie that had gone against Odin because she favored a younger king and Svafa, who had fallen in love with a mortal man. They were stories that your mother had told you when you were little. Stories that you had thought romantic as a child though now you weren’t so sure if they were romantic, heart-breaking or just plain dumb. “No, they can influence a battle to swing one way or the other. They’re fallible and can be swayed by their emotions…Ugh, why can’t these things ever be clear?”

Melissa chuckled and then came over to sit on the arm of the chair you were in. Putting an arm around your shoulders, she pulled you into a hug. “Oh, sweetheart, very few things in life are ever clear. Take it from someone who has a couple years of experience in it.”

“Tell you what,” she continued, “I’ve been looking into werewolves and have come across quite a bit of Greek myths outside of the regular Zeus, Hades, and gang. I’ll go back through and see if I can find anything about an Eagle and then help you look into the others as well.”

You thank her for the offer and she gets up to go check on Stiles. You watch as she takes his vitals and notes the information in his chart. He’s still asleep through all of this and you can’t help but feel relieved that he’s getting some rest.

“When was the last time you had a good night’s rest?”

You’re caught off guard by the question. You’d been so distracted by Stiles you hadn’t noticed that Melissa had completed her check and since you were the only other person in the room, well, it had to be you.

Contemplating the question, it takes you a moment to realize, “It’s been literal months since the last time. It’s always one thing or another that wakes me up.”

She cups your face in the same way that your aunt used to before the insanity got the best of her, and you can feel your heart clench painfully and you have to bite the inside of your cheek to not break down in tears at that moment.

You can see the worry in her eyes and you shake your head. “I promise, I am getting more sleep than he is. Just the other day I fell asleep at his house and he let me sleep for like 4 hours… I think it was 4. That was probably the best nap I’d had in a while too. Besides, it’s not like I need a whole lot of sleep anyways.”

She sighs and it sounds like in that sigh is a heavy weight that you can practically feel reverberating through the room. “Alright, well I’m off in a couple hours. You’ll come with me and we’ll get you a change of clothes and some food then you can come stand vigil.”

“But-”

“No arguments. He’s here, he will be safe for an hour or two while you get some actual food in your system and some clean clothes,” she cuts you off with a pointed look at what you have on.

Looking down you realize that you’re still in the black leggings from last night with Stiles’ flannel thrown over your torso. You should feel embarrassed or sheepish. Your skin should be heating up but, interestingly, you find that you’re oddly kind of proud of the outfit you have on. Melissa’s not wrong though, you do need to get into clean clothes and you need some actual food. So, you nod your head and she leaves.

You must have dozed off because the next thing you know, you’re being woken by a knock at the door.


	25. Chapter 25

“I’m sorry you called them demonic ninjas? Am I hearing this right?” You ask Aiden, trying to figure out if you’re dreaming or awake or what insanity there is going on in the boys head.

“I know it sounds insane, but I’m telling you- that’s what they are,” he says.

He’d come by earlier to check on Lydia, who had apparently been attacked by one of these things. She was freezing and the doctors had been told she was found hypothermic and we’re trying to bring her body heat back up. When he’d caught yours and Stiles’ scents and had worried that something that happened to the two of you and had come to check on you both.

He’d knocked on the door to Stiles’ room and you had stepped outside the room with him, in an attempt to not bother Stiles. Melissa had said the sedative would keep him out but you didn’t really want to risk it.

“So then, what do they want?”

Aiden shook his head, “We haven’t found anything. We can’t even figure out exactly what they are. But they disappeared when the sun came up this morning. They were looking right at Scott at the time.”

“So you’re thinking they’re after Scott?”

At his nod, you let out a groan “Well, where is he now?”

“Ethan said he tracked him down to his house, so now we’re gonna head over there in a few minutes, try to keep him safe.”

Keep him safe… If something happened to Scott, Stiles would be devastated. But if something happened to Stiles, well death happens to the people around him and maybe it was selfish but you refused to lose him when you’d just found him. “You’re sure it’s just the supernatural that they’re after?”

“That party was full of a bunch of non-supernatural humans, pretty sure it’s a safe bet.”

“Alright then, give me a second and we’ll go.” You turned back into the room and, pulled out a sheet from your notebook. Jotting down a quick note, you let Stiles know that you’d be back shortly, there was something that had come up.

Making your way out and back into the hallway, you saw Aiden giving you a look of surprise but chose to ignore it. Passing him, you didn’t hear his footsteps so you called back, “Aiden, let’s go.”

His steps weren’t far behind you at that point and the two of you soon made your way past the nurse’s station. Melissa called your name and you stopped to look at her, “Remember how we had said something about getting some rest and changing clothing?” At her nod, you continued, “Well it seems that’s gonna have to take a bit of a backseat for a little while longer. We apparently need to get to your house.”

Melissa had a moment of terror flash across her face before you saw her control it. She told one of the EMT’s that she had a family emergency she had to go deal with and to have Nurse Roman cover the last 15 minutes of her shift. The three of you then made your way out of the hospital and it wasn’t long before you were on your way to the McCall house.

In your opinion, Melissa had been a champ, she’d remained calm basically the entire drive to her house once you’d explained what Aiden told you. Pulling up, she noticed that there was a black SUV outside the house. She must have placed it because a moment later she was groaning, “Damn it!”

“Who’s care is that?”

“Rafaels. Scott’s dad… We’re gonna have to be calm.”

You tried not to make your disappointment at his presence known by only nodding your head. Whether or not it worked, she didn’t comment on it as she parked the car and the two of you walked into the house.

Scott was arguing with his dad as the two of you walked in. Melissa asked what was going on and before you knew it things had gotten out of control. Rafael had been stabbed by what you were assuming was one of the demonic ninjas Aiden had told you about seeing as it had literally appeared out of nowhere.

You ran over to the man, along with Melissa and Scott. While you didn’t like him you didn’t think that he necessarily deserved to die either. Working with Melissa, you were able to get Mr. Suit into an alcove of the house as Derek came in the door and the twins came through the windows.

Scott and Derek started to fight their own demonic ninja each and you helped Melissa put pressure on Rafael’s am when there’s a crash through the windows. Looking over, you see the twins had come in that way and were fighting a third demon.

It took the guys a moment but they were able to get the demons out of the house and Scott was yelling, “Mom! Now! Do it now!”

Melissa looks at you and you nod your head, indicating that you can hold the pressure on Rafael’s shoulder and that she should go ahead and do the thing. She nods at you before she gets up and grabs a jar. Running to the door, she throws it down and the Mountain Ash inside forms into a line along the door.

At first, you don’t think that it’s going to do anything. After all, Mountain Ash as a barrier needs to be enclosed on both ends and she’s only got a line out. But there’s a buzzing against your skin that’s uncomfortable.

Melissa is making her way back to you and you turn to see that there’s a demon outside the house, just standing there. Kira and the twins are standing near the door and Kira reaches outwards towards the door, reaching for the demon.

Just as you’re about to call to her and get her to pull away from the situation in front of her, there is a flashing and the shimmering of a barrier. How had you missed that she was a supernatural being?!

She steps back and Aiden’s looking at her like he’s trying to figure out what she is.

You’re working with Melissa on Rafael, unless you can get him out of the house, all you can really do is keep the pressure on his wound, when you hear Scott and Derek talking. Apparently, they had changed all the baseboards in the house to Ashwood. Which, really wasn’t surprising considering what Scott and his friends had been through.

Deaton had suggested it. Deaton, who was more than just a veterinarian. Who’s animal clinic was built with Mountain Ash embedded into it. Who had been surprised to see you before he’d managed to school his features. You were going to have to look into him.

When Derek says that he’s been following Scott all day, Scott’s shocked and you can’t help the giggle that bubbles over. Melissa gives you a look of confusion and you shake your head, “I’m sorry. It’s just that Scott may be a True Alpha but he has terrible observation skills.”

Rafael lets a groan and you both turn back to him. He had tried to move his arm and it made things worse. Melissa calls for Scott and you take Rafael’s hand, turning it in your own as you take in some of his pain.

Rafael is saying something about back-up when Scott makes it to the little alcove. He asks his mom how bad things are and she points out that it’s not good. You resist the urge to point out the small blessing that the blood hasn’t turned but you’re not sure that he’ll make it the whole night in the house.

Melissa confirms this.

They go back and forth about what they should do. Scott’s first thought is to get Stiles’ dad but his mom points out that it may just make things worse.

They seem to go back and forth with it. When Rafael passes out, she gasps and you have to reach out a hand to her. Listening to him, he’s still ok. At least for now.

Melissa gives you a soft smile and motions for you to go ahead. She’s got the situation with Rafael under control for the time being. There’s nothing else that they can do.

You walk out towards the living room and as you’re entering, you see Aiden take Kira’s hand. Ethan tries to stop him but Aiden tells him to watch before putting Kira’s hand against the barrier of Mountain Ash.

“See that? She can’t go through it either.” Aiden points out to his brother, before turning his attention to Kira, “So what are you?”

Normally you would have jumped in tried to get them to leave her alone but you’re curious to the answer yourself. Kira seems trapped but, thankfully, it seems Derek has the answers as he informs the room that she’s a kitsune.

Kira looks shocked as she turns to him and you raise an eyebrow, Derek merely shrugs, “Use your eyes. You can see it all around her.” You adjust your eyes and see that he’s right. There is a golden fox outline around her. Derek, meanwhile, is still talking, “The younger ones give off an aura. She just hasn’t learned how to conceal it yet. She probably doesn’t even know what kind she is either.”

“That’s not fair Derek, there are 13 different kinds.”

Kira and the twins turn to you the shock and surprise evident in their faces. Shaking your head, you list them, “Kaze of the Wind, Chikyu of the Earth, Kasai of the Fire, Kawa of the River, Tengoku of the Heavens, Sanda of Thunder, Yama of the Mountains, Kukan the Void, Seishin of the Spirit, Jikan of Time, Mori of the Forest, Umi amongst the Ocean, and Ongaku within Music. Though the Kukan has been known as the Nogitsune.”

Kira looks at you then at the twins before she suddenly pales and rushes out of the room. You go to follow her but Derek grabs your arm. “Let Scott take care of her.”

“She’s my friends.’

“And he’s her Alpha.”

You can’t help the scoff that escapes you, “She’s a kitsune, they don’t do packs. Sure they have family and will stay with them in something that can resemble a pack but a fox doesn’t create pack bonds.”

He gives you a warning look and you groan, “Fine. But if he can’t fix it I will.”

Derek just shakes his head. Before he can say anything else, the twins come up to you.

“You’re sure about the Kitsune?”

You nod your head, “Guys, I’ve grown up with this. They’re not as uncommon as you seem to think. How do you not know this?”

“Well it’s not like we had a lot of family bonds or a whole lot of people teaching us things,” Ethan points out.

Aiden nods his head, “It was mostly just, do this, do that, kill this person. Not very conducive to a learning environment.”

“Fair enough.”

There’s a hissing that turns your attention to the front door. The demon is looking at you and the twins. Derek steps in front of you so that it doesn’t have a direct line of sight to you. There’s another at the window that the twins had jumped through. You turn your attention to this one when you suddenly feel compelled to walk towards it.

Without realizing it, you’ve taken a couple of steps, towards the window when you’re pulled backward and turn to see Derek giving you a look of confusion. The question is unspoken between the two of you, What are you doing?

“I- I don’t know. It was like a need to get to it,” you whisper with a shake of your head. He looks at the window and then tucks you physically behind him. He motions with his head and Aiden comes to the side that is still open to the demon at the door.

You’re shaken for a moment and take a deep breath. Focusing on just your breathing, you hear Aiden point out to Derek that he had no intention of hurting Kira.

‘Not yet,” your cousin replies with a finality to his voice.

“Why do you think we’re here Derek? For a study group?” Aiden’s frustrated, that much is obvious and you can’t help but to wish that you were all here for a study group. At least then you wouldn’t be moving towards a demonic ninja thing that had already attacked your new friends. But Aiden continues, “We’re here to protect Scott.”

“We’re trying to fight for him.” Ethan points out.

“I’m sure you are,” there’s a hint of amusement, or is it condescending? In your cousins’ voice, “I’m sure you’d kill for him.” Derek steps forward and you can’t help the moment of panic. Derek, thankfully, doesn’t move too far before/ he turns around. He is still blocking the demon’s view of you, “But are you willing to die for him?”

The twins look at each other and you don’t blame them. Any alpha would want a pack that is willing to fight for them. Granted, a good Alpha would fight for their pack members long before they needed to fight for them. It was why the betas and omegas were willing to fight for their Alpha, to begin with.

You turned your attention back to the demons and you think about what you know about the kitsune and what they may have to do with demons. After all, the two have to be connected if Kira is the only Kitsune they’ve met and the demons are now to them, right? It takes you a moment to realize it but yo do, “They’re not ninjas, they’re Oni’s.”

Scott turns to look at you, “They are literally demons. But they’re somehow controlled by or made by the tails of a kitsune. I don’t really understand that part. All I know is that somehow the Kitsune controlling them uses their affinity for whichever part of the world they are to fight. “

“Ok so how do we defeat them?”

“I don’t think we can. One of my dad’s business partners, the one who actually taught us about them said that they’re ‘a force of nature and you don’t fight a tsunami, you endure it.”

“So how do you endure it?”

You’re about to snap at him, but Derek steps in for you “Scott, how do you expect her to know the answer to that? Besides, some of us already have.” You’re sure that your facial expressions indicate that you think that he’s insane, just as everyone else’s does, but he points out. Derek looks like he wants to smack everyone before he points out, “Some of us,” he points to himself and the twins, “have already faced them but are still alive.”

Suddenly, there’s a banging. You all turn your attention back to the Oni. They are now hitting the barrier with their swords.

“What are they doing?” you ask, worried that you already know the answer.

“Testing for weaknesses.”

The foundation of the house shakes and things fall off shelves. Everyone turns around to look at this and you groan, turning around you run back towards the alcove to check on Scott’s parents. As you get closer, you see them having a hushed conversation. Melissa tells him that he has to stay awake and that they will get him out of there. You just hope that happens before the blood turns.

“Ms. McCall?” you call out tentatively to get her attention. She turns to you and shakes her head. Whatever is gonna happen, needs to happen soon or things won’t end well for Mr. Suit.

Nodding your head, you make your way back to the living room. Scott’s on the phone with someone and you only hear his part of the conversation.

“They’re trying to get in and it looks like they’re gonna be able to”

“A nogitsune.”

“I just… tell me what else.”

A moment later, Scott hangs up the phone. Kira’s shaking her head, “I’m right, aren’t I? They’re looking for me?”

You’re about to ask what she’s talking about when Scott denies her claims. “They’re looking for a dark spirit and I know it’s not you.”

“Scott, we’re gonna have to do something,” Derek says and you turn to see that the barrier is basically broken.

A group of Oni steps into the house and you prepare yourself for a fight before Scott says not to do anything. Aiden asks if he’s serious and a moment later, he repeats his command.

You leave your claws out but allow them to approach. One goes for Scott and another for Kira. It takes them a moment but before you realize it, they’re both on the floor and one of the Oni’s has turned its attention to you.

Standing perfectly still, you allow the Oni to cup your neck. It turns eyes to you and you’re reminded of fireflies. You’re reminded of the fireflies you had seen around the Nemeton in your vision but before you can really give it more thought, you can feel a coldness seep into your bones.

The Oni continues to look at you before it turns it’s head to the other side, almost as if it is confused. A rattling sound escapes it and you suddenly feel like you’re on fire. A scream of pain tears past your lips. You’re eyes shut at the pain but you feel the hands be removed before a new set of hands replaces them. Opening your eyes, you see a second Oni takes the place of the first and it has cupped your face.

You’re not sure how long it looks at you but, what feels like hours later, it lets you go. You cannot hold yourself up and fall limp to the floor. You feel like your blood is molten within your veins and don’t even try to fight the whimpers that escape you.

As you lay there on the floor, you can hear the echo of a laughing yip and the flash of orange fur before suddenly you feel a snap in your arm. Roaring at the pain, you jolt back up. Arms encircle you and you’re surrounded by Derek’s comforting scent.

Burying your head in your cousin’s chest, you growl out at Aiden, “I thought you said it was supposed to be like hypothermia. That felt like I was being burned from the inside out.”

Derek’s rubbing circles across your shoulder blades and you realize, after a moment, that no one has responded to you. Pulling backward, you look up at the three males. “What is it?”

Derek lets out a sigh and moves backward, “The kanji they left you is different.”

“What does it say?” you ask as the hand goes up to touch the skin behind your ear.

“Wolf.”

“But then, what do yours say?”

“Self.”

A silence falls in the room as no one knows what it means or what to say about it. You’re not sure if it’s comforting or terrifying but you do realize that there are people missing.

Derek informs you that Scott and Melissa had taken Rafael to the hospital and you nod your head. It would make sense. It takes your brain a moment to catch up but suddenly you’re having thoughts of Stiles and the fireflies and you bolt upwards. ‘We gotta go. We gotta go now.”

Derek tries to calm you down but you go to take off, Aiden tells you and you snarl at him. He steps backward but keeps a tight hold on you. When he asks what’s wrong, you shake your head, “Stiles is in trouble. They’re gonna go after him - the fireflies.”

“Wait, what fireflies?”

“The Oni’s eyes were fireflies. The Oni are gonna go after him.”

“Natasha… he’s not supernatural.” Aiden tries to reason as you struggle to get out of his grip.

“Please?” you beg and you must look like a broken mess after your encounter with the Oni because of a moment later, he nods his head stiffly.

You, Aiden and Derek had piled into Derek’s Mustang and were on your way. It felt like it was taking forever and you were worried that the Oni would make it before you did but soon enough you were at the hospital.

Getting off the car, you run into the building practically trampling a few people in your haste. You’re running up the stairs to make it to room 315. You have to protect Stiles from the Oni. Though you’re not sure why they’d be after him it’s the only thing that makes sense with the vision you’d had.

You make it out of the stairwell and you’re running down the hallways when you hear Scott’s voice and slow down.

“Stiles? You okay?”

You could almost cry with relief when Stiles responds, “Yeah. Fine. What’s been going on?”

They come out a set of doors just a little further down, closer to the elevators and you see that Stiles is physically untouched. They’re headed your way and you meet them halfway down the hall before you wrap your arms around Stiles.

‘Thank Odin you’re okay,” you whisper. You can tell that he’s surprised at the gesture, or maybe the wording you chose, but he takes a moment before he hugs you. When he does, he hugs you tightly, almost to bruisingly so, before letting go. You can’t be sure but you think that he may have sniffed your hair while he hugged you. 

“You alright?” He asks, a hint of confusion in his voice but, you notice, his eyes seem calm.

You nod your head, “Yeah. I was just worried about you.”


	26. Chapter 26

“I’m sorry you did what now?!”

“Tasha it wasn’t that bad! Allison’s dad was there and it’s not like anyone actually got hurt. Plus we found out what the things are and that apparently it’s a Nogitsune that they’re looking for” Isaac tried to defend himself, putting his hands up in an attempt to placate you.

You growl at him somewhat menacingly and he seems surprised by your actions but before he can dig himself into a deeper grave, you point out, “Ok let’s not even dive into the supernatural aspect of the issues with you meeting up with the Yakuza. It’s the freaking Yakuza! You don’t just meet them and then go on your merry way and act like it never happened! There’s going to be things that come up later. God forbid you ever want to work in law enforcement, guess what that’s not an option anymore!” By this point, you’ve raised your voice and are just short of yelling at him while you pace back and forth, motioning at him in your agitated state.

“Tasha…”

“No Isaac! Did you know that the Yakuza has their own werewolves? Rumor is there’s even an evolved kanima amongst them. Not to mention they have different kitsune at different ranks!”

“Yeah, we actually um- met one of the werewolves.”

You freeze as the ice runs down your spine at those words. Slowly, you turn back to face Isaac as you school your features into a hard mask. You’re praying that he’s joking, that there wasn’t actually a meeting with the Yakuza a few days ago let alone one that had a werewolf present but his face is serious. He’s not trying to hold back a smirk or a laugh and you realize that he’s being serious.

“Do you realize how lucky you are that they let you walk away alive?”

“Yeah,” Isaac rubbed the back of his neck and this time you weren’t sure if it was because he was nervous or because he was upset, “Apparently the main guy owed Allison’s dad.”

“That’s really not that reassuring. Besides, you do realize you’re not gonna get that lucky again in the future, right?” Your voice was small, terrified at the prospect of what was to come. He took a step towards you, calling your name, softly, and you stepped back while shaking your head. “This isn’t a game Isaac.”

Isaac took another step towards you and pulled you into a hug, “I know. If it makes you feel better, Allison’s dad wasn’t comfortable with the whole thing either.”

Hugging him back, you breathed in his scent and listened to his heartbeat for a minute to ensure that he was alive. It’s a scent that has become as comforting as Aarics or Ro’s though not as soothing.

You’d had a sense of foreboding all afternoon. It’s been a couple of days since the Oni attack at the McCall house but you’d found yourself more and more anxious as time went on. While none of your friends or yourself had been killed by the creatures, you hadn’t been able to relax since that night.

Scott had caught Stiles up on what was going on while waiting for Rafael. Stiles has been worried about everyone but particularly Lydia but Scott had been able to reassure him. You had confirmed with Scott that he and Kira had also had the kanji for self on their necks and since then had been trying to figure out why yours was different.

Once you’ve confirmed with your own senses that Isaac is, in fact, alive and well you step back from him. As your stepping back, you feel your phone buzz and Scott is yelling for Isaac. He sounds stressed out but your phone is ringing and it’s late so while Isaac runs out of the room, you check your phone.

Seeing the contact, you swipe and lift the phone to your ear, “What’s up Ro?”

“Hey kid, so you didn’t hear this from me cause we’re still not sure and dad doesn’t want you to know just yet but, as your brother, I think you should know.” you’re about to ask what it is he’s talking about but he doesn’t give you a chance, he’s speaking so fast you can barely keep up with what he’s saying, “You know how you had asked if your mate could be human? Now we aren’t sure but we did find a mate that wasn’t a werewolf and we’re trying to find more on her. ”

You didn’t completely understand what your brother was trying to tell you and you’re sure that bein as tired as you are isn’t helping the situation. He’s talking about a priestess of some sort and you’re not sure but suddenly Isaacs calling your name and when you turn to him he says, “We gotta go. Somethings wrong with Stiles.”

“Ro I gotta call you back,” you say and hang up the phone, grabbing your hoodie before making your way out of the room to follow Isaac down the stairs. 

As you’re making your way down the stairs, Scott’s phone is vibrating again, he answers and while you don’t usually like to listen in on cell phones because of the high frequency, you pay attention this time, “Hey, Stiles.”

“Did you call him? Did you call my dad?” You can hear the panic and fear in Stiles’ voice and share a look with Isaac. This is bad.

“No,” Scott assures and shakes his head, as if Stiles can see the motion. “Just Isaac and Natasha. We’re coming to find you. Can you figure out where you are? Try to find something to tell us where to look.”

“It’s a basement. I don’t… I think… I think I’m in some kind of… some kind of basement.”

“Stiles is it a house?” you ask loudly.

Thankfully, he seems to hear you and, a moment later he’s saying, “No, it looks bigger. Like it’s industrial.” The more that he talks, the more it sounds like he’s on the verge of tears and you can hear the shake in his voice when he says, “I think there’s a furnace but it’s cold. It’s freezing down here. I gotta… I gotta turn the phone off, Scott. It’s going to die.”

“Stiles wait,” you say at the same time that Scott asks him to wait.

Thankfully, it seems that Stiles listens as the line does not go silent and Scott asks, “What else is there, what do you see?”

“The phone’s dying I can’t talk,” he repeats, the frustration evident in his voice and while you don’t blame him you also don’t know how else to help if you can’t get information from him. Suddenly, Stiles is whispering and there’s a different kind of terror to his voice. “I have to go. Please…” he begs.

“Stiles, why you whispering?”

There’s a moment that’s tense and a knot forms in your stomach as you meet Scotts eyes. The next words out of Stiles’ mouth cause the Alphas face to pale considerably, “Cause, I think there’s someone in here with me.” Then the line goes silent.

Shit.

You look at Isaac and then Scott. No one says anything for a moment and you’re sure that they’re trying to put together a list of places where they can check but really, where is there to go?

“We need to call his dad,” you say as you go to reach for your phone. It’s as you realize that it’s not in your pocket that Scott grabs your arm.

“I promised I wouldn’t,” the young Alpha tells you with all seriousness, a pleading look on his face.

“Why would you do that?!” you practically hiss at him. “Of all the things -”

“Natasha he begged me not to.” 

“That’s not how that works Scott!” you yell as you throw your hands up, in exasperation, “He is missing and we need to call in his dad.”

“Natasha, please? I promised?” He looks torn and a part of you does feel bad for snapping. This is his friend and his territory so he’s gonna know better than you would about what his friend can and cannot handle. 

Crossing your arms, you huff, and glare at him before saying, through gritted teeth, “Fine, where do you want to start?”

You get it, you really do and, if you’re honest with yourself, if you were at home and it was Aaric or Ro who had asked you then you probably would have agreed not to say a word.

Scott looks surprised that you agreed and you’re already regretting the decision. Just as you’re about to tell him to forget it, he seems to make up his mind. “Let’s start at his house. Get the freshest possible scent and go from there. I’m sure we’ll be able to track him.”

“What if someone else took him?” Isaac asks and you turn to him, giving him a look that you hope indicates how much he is not being helpful in this situation.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Scott shaking his head. “He was probably sleepwalking. But if someone else did take him, then there’ll be a scent there that shouldn’t be and we can track both of them.”

“Alright then let’s go.”

The three of you are out of the house and on your respective bikes moments later and making your way towards the Stilinski household. You can feel the worry and anxiety rolling off Scott and, surprisingly, off Isaac.

As you ride, your instinct decides that now is the perfect time to speak up, We should be going after him.

We are but we have to have his scent.

Do you really think we don’t know it?

And what happens if we’re wrong? Hmmm, you ask your instincts, If we get this wrong he could end up dead. Remember when we agreed that death happens to those around you? I happen to like these people. Sherriff would be devastated if something happened to Stiles and we know that Melissa and Scott wouldn’t take it well. Not to mention, I happen to like the kid. He’s passionate, funny, caring. He may be human but he’s someone I want on my side when a fight comes.

Your instincts are silent for a moment and you wonder if perhaps you’ve said or done something wrong. But a moment later, you can feel the growl in your chest, Then let’s get the scent and go.

Getting to the Stilinski house, you put your bike in park. A quick glance around and you realize that you recognize a car parked across the street.

As the group of you walk into the house, you ask the boys, “Why is Aidens car is parked across the street?”

To their credit, neither of them stop though they do hurry up and Scott has a key to let himself in, though he ends up not needing it. As soon as you enter the door, your hit by both Aiden and Lydias scents within the house.

Running now, you make your way up the stairs and find both Lydia and Aiden in Stiles’ room.

“How did you know? Did he call you too?” Scotts asking the redhead.

Meanwhile, you shake your head, “Lydia for the love of Odin please tell me that this wasn’t a feeling that you go.”

Lydia shakes her head, “I heard it.”

“Don’t ask,” Aiden warns, “It gets more confusing when you ask.”

“Guys,” you step past the two of them towards the bed.

“Not as confusing as that,” Lydia points out. There are red strings tied to a pair of scissors that have been stabbed into the middle of the mattress. The opposite ends are attached to different pictures.

“He uses red for the unsolved cases,” you whisper, remembering the night you’d worked on Barrow. Blue’s just pretty.

“Maybe he thinks he’s part of an unsolved case.”

“Or is an unsolved case.”

“Aiden, Isaac…” You turn to face them, “I will deball you if you keep it up.”

They both look at you, a look of scrutinization on their faces. You figure that they’re trying to determine if you’re serious or not and so you offer then a fanged smile before turning back to the pictures the red strings connect to. Eyes bouncing from picture to picture again, it takes you a moment to figure they’re probably not connected, “Scott w need to go find him.”

“Hold on,” Lydia begins, “is he still out there? You don’t know where he is?”

Scott tries to defend himself again and Aiden must feel your agitation because he reaches out and squeezes your shoulder. What you can’t seem to understand is why everyone else seems so calm in this.

“What else did he say?” Lydias asking.

“Somethings wrong with his leg. He’s bleeding.”

“I’m sorry what?” you turn to Scott. “You didn’t say that at the house. We need to go to the cops.”

Aiden backs you up, “Natasha’s right, tonight’s the coldest night of the year. It’s going to drop into the 20’s.”

“Wait, hold on-” Lydia cuts off the pending argument. “You haven’t told his dad?” When Scott doesn’t say anything, she clarifies, “Stiles is bleeding and freezing and you didn’t call his dad?”

“He made me promise not to. We can find him by scent. If he was sleepwalking, he couldn’t have gotten far, right?”

“You guys didn’t notice his jeeps gone did you?”

“That was probably my fault,” you say, raising your hand and addressing Aiden, “I was more distracted with your car.”

Lydia’s pulled out her phone and is going through her contacts, “You promised you wouldn’t call his dad. I didn’t.”

“I’m with her, Scott. Sherriff’s gonna have more resources.”

“Wait, you guys, I can get more help. I can call Derek-”

“Already texted him, Peter, too for that matter.”

Scott gives you a look but continues, “I can call Allison.”

“Everyone except for the cops! Great idea!” Lydia snaps and you don’t blame her. You’re about two seconds from taking off to look for Stiles on your own. Roscoe may smell like other cars but the paint does have a small difference to it. If you can figure that out then maybe…

“You guys remember she only gets these feelings when someone’s about to die, right?” Aiden says and you walk past them towards the front of the house, pulling off your hoodie as you go.

Isaac calls your name and you ignore him. You would have outrun him but you needed to get your shoes off in order to be able to shift and when you’d stopped he’d grabbed your arm. Turning, you snarled at him but he tightened his grip.

“Natasha, we’re gonna go to the station right now.”

“Why is it that only me and Lydia are worried about him right now? Scotts just hanging out like his so-called best friend isn’t potentially dying and I get that you and Aiden aren’t his biggest fans but come on, he’s supposed to be pack and you don’t leave pack behind… we have to keep him safe.”

Isaac looks at you and tilts his head “hey - we’re gonna find him. I promise.”

Before you can respond, Scotts come down the stairs, “Lydia said there’s something here. She and Aiden are gonna stay behind. Follow me.”

“How long till we get there?”

“5 minutes in normal traffic.”

“Well, we’re in a rush. Better make it 3,” you say as you get on your bike and the three of you ride out of the neighborhood like Hades’ hellhounds are after you.


	27. Chapter 27

Panting, Stiles uses what he has left of battery on his phone to turn on the flashlight. The cold felt like it was seeping into his bones but his leg was starting to feel numb and he was worried about what that actually meant. Turning, he shined the light on his leg and found a bear trap in his leg. The sight terrified him and the scream that left him turned into a sob. What had happened? How had he gotten here?

The sound of scraping caught his attention and he moved the phones light to where the sound was coming from as it continued. When nothing was immediately visible, he shakily asked: “Who’s there?”

Merely watching the boy was becoming quite satisfying. It had been years since he’d been fed and then these children had decided to go ahead and make themselves a sacrifice. It had been the perfect opportunity to get back into the world.

He continued to move around the space, without responding to the boy, reveling in the horror, fear, and pain that radiated off him.

“I know you’re there, I can hear you.’

Sitting down, Void watched as the light moved through the created room. A smile formed on his features as he felt the boys panic rising. The light had almost passed him when it suddenly flashed back to his position.

“Who are you?”

Standing, he drew a kanji on the wall before stepping back into the shadow. As the fear spiked he feasted on the gift before him.

Stiles’ heart was beating as the figure had stepped away. Looking at what had been drawn, it took him a moment but he realized that it was the kanji for “self.” He wasn’t sure how he knew that but he did.

He watched as the seemingly innocent chalk then flew away in particles of the flashlight moved away. A feeling of dread crawled down his spine.

Watching the brunette from the shadows, he waited. This host was stronger than the hunter. Stronger than the previous host it would seem. There were qualities that even he wasn’t aware of and it made him giddy to know that some of those very qualities would be what would allow controlling the situation so much easier.

The best part? The pain of the supernatural was always more potent than the pain of the human.

You’d barely parked your bike when you were screaming for the sheriff as you ran into the police station as Scott called after you. You could feel your control slipping as you turned to growl at him.

The three of you must have made a sight because one of the deputies had a hand on his gun and was asking what you were up to and how he could help.

“We need to see the Sherriff,” Scott tried and when the deputy went to answer, you could tell he was going to give you some excuse as to why you couldn’t so you cut in and informed him that The Sheriff’s son was missing.

The blood drained from the deputies face and you moved past him towards the offices.

 ** _Kindness. This is his dad, he’s going to care and it’s going to hurt him but he is cool but he has to keep his cool_** , your instincts reminded you and you slowed to knock on the door.

Hearing the words come in, you pushed open the door with Scott and Isaac right behind you. You looked at Noah Stilinski and your heart broke. He was just a man whose son had managed to get caught up in the supernatural and who probably worries for him more than Stiles actually knows. This was going to be a nightmare come true for him.

You’re not sure what Isaac and Scott were thinking but neither of them said a word at first and the room must have been silent for too long because a moment later, Mr. Stilinski was looking up from his paperwork. As soon as he saw the three of you, his face dropped.

“Where’s Stiles?” he asked, the fear in his voice ensuring you that you were right, this was his nightmare.

You want to answer, you really do but you know it would be better to hear it from Scott so you turn to look at him. Scott looks like he would rather not be the one to deliver the news but you watch as he falls into the role of the Alpha. Stepping past you, he tells the Sheriff that he’s not sure.

Mr. Stilinski’s heart stops for a moment before it resumes beating much faster. He takes a moment to breathe and get his heart beat under control and he calls out for Parrish.

A younger looking deputy comes into the room, “Sir?”

“We have a missing teenager.”

Parrish pulled out his notebook, “Who?”

“My son.”

Parish stopped and looked at the Sheriff and then the group of you before nodding his head, “I’ll get everyone gathered.” He turned around and left the office.

“Scott, what happened?”

Scott tells him about the phone call and going to the house. How Lydia had had one of her feelings and been there as well. How she had stayed behind because she said there was something going on in the room. He didn’t, however, tell him aout the terror in Stiles’ voice or how he’d begged that you all leave is dad out of it.

“But his jeep was still at the house?”

Scott shakes his head. Before Mr. Stilinski or Scott can say anything else, Parrish is back in the room letting him know that the deputies are all gathered.

You watch as Mr. Stilisnki changes right before your eyes. He’s still a terrified dad but he’s put that to the back and is the Sheriff. Stepping out of the room and in front of his group, he begins, “We have a missing 17-year-old caucasian male.” Immediately, every deputy in the room is writing down the information, “He’s 5’ 10”, about 150 lbs, brunette hair.”

He then turns to you, “When was the last time you saw him?”

You had to think about it for a moment, “I think it was about 10ish. He was tired and had said he wanted to call it a night.”

You could see the look of confusion on some of the deputies faces and you were sure that someone probably thought that you had done something but you didn’t say anything.

“The missing boy is my son.”

From the reaction of the deputies, you figured that Parrish hadn’t said who the missing person was because you were sure that a few of them had whiplash.

“If his Jeep is gone, that’s where we start,” the Sheriff tells you and you’re not sure why he does though you suspect it’s so that he can stay focused on the task at hand. He then turns to the deputy from earlier and starts assigning tasks, “Parrish, let’s get an APB out on a blue 1980 CJ-5 Jeep. Cordova, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sub-level of any building that he could’ve gotten into while sleepwalking.”

The Sheriff then turns to the rest of the deputies, “It’s the coldest night of the year so far so if he’s out there barefoot in just a T-shirt, he could already be hypothermic. Let’s move fast, let’s think fast.”

As everyone gets up and moving, he turns to the three of you, “The three of you, come with me.”

Following him back into his office, he closes the door and looks at the three of you, “Is there anything you need to tell me that I can’t tell everybody out there?”

“Only that Lydia knew he was missing, but we already told you that.”

“Can she help find him?”

“Well, she’s working on it,” Isaac points out and while he doesn’t sound hopeful he does sound like he thinks she’s a good bet.

“Anything else?”

Scott points out that he called Allison for help.

“And I texted Derek and Peter, they’re going through the Iron Works right now to see if there’s any scent of him,” you said reading the message on your phone.

“Alright,” he says slowly, “Can you find him by scent?”

Before anyone can respond, Parrish is opening the door and informing that the jeeps been found. The Sheriff and a few deputies run out of the station and are in their squad cars. You see Scott get in one but hop on your bike and follow them, Isaac not far behind you.

You pull up to the hospital and see the jeep just as everyone else does and as soon as you’ve removed your helmet you get Stiles’ scent. The confusing part, though, is that it the strongest part of the scent seems to be coming from above you. Taking a deeper breath, you make sure that’s what it is.

The Sheriff’s already confirmed that he’s not in the jeep. They’re rushing inside and you run past Scott and the Sheriff towards the stairs. Running up them, you come to the roof and have to stop. That feeling of foreboding has increased and you’re sure, for some reason, that whatever is on the other side of the door isn’t gonna be Stiles.

Stepping out, you’re immediately hit by the scent and it makes you whine. Like most wolves, you’d never liked the scent but this was something different, it wasn’t just bitter it was heartwrenching. But, you kept walking onto the wolf. Even though you knew he wasn’t here you had to see it for yourself that Stiles wasn’t here before you walked away.

As you’re searching the rooftop, Derek shows up. Turning to him, you watch as he registers the scents as well. He begins to walk the roof, in the opposite direction of you.

“You notice it’s just his scent?”

You nod your head before you realize that Derek probably can’t see you, “Can you feel how tortured he was?”

“Why do you think that would be?”

You stop searching and come back to the middle of the roof with Derek. “I don’t know,” you whisper softly before closing you’re eyes and taking a deeper breath. As you do you open yourself up to the emotions.

There’s torment and anguish and you’re feeling them in a way that you haven’t before. It’s almost as if the building itself has absorbed the emotion and you’re about to let it go when suddenly there’s a voice, “Remember, Little Wolf, we are trying to save you.”

“Why would you say that?” you ask Derek, confused at his choice of words. Before he can respond, though, Scott and Isaac are on the roof.

“He’s not here,” you tell them.

“Not anymore at least,” Derek points out.

Scott clarifies that you two do, in fact, mean the whole building.

“He’s gone.”

Scott shakes his head and then turns to Isaac who is offering to go tell the Sheriff and nods his head before reminding him to find Allison as well. She apparently hasn’t picked up her phone.

Isaacs gone and you’re left on the roof with your cousin and Scott. Scott comes to stand next to Derek and you again close your eyes, trying to focus on the scent around you. It is Stiles’ scent but at the same time, there is something off about it.

Derek asks Scott if he notices the scent on the roof, how strong it is and then asks him if he’s ever heard of chemosignals. You have but you’re not sure what they are and you’re hoping Scott hasn’t heard of them because you’d really like to know. Derek, however, doesn’t give Scott a chance to respond before he says, “Chemical signals that communicate emotion. Just our sweat can give off anger, fear, or disgust.”

He tells Scott to take a deep breath and tell him what he feels. Scott follows instructions and you’re glad that he also recognizes the stress and anxiety. But he misses the terror and it’s then that you realize Derek hadn’t mentioned what he smelled just that he did smell things.

“Is there anything else either of you are getting?’ you ask them, unsure if you’re losing your mind. They both shake their head, Derek turns a questioning gaze on you but before either of you verbalize anything, Scott’s asking what Stiles’ had been doing on the roof.

“We don’t know, “ Derek says with a shake of his head, but there was definitely some kind of struggle.”

“With who?”

“Himself,” you say. Scott turns to look at you and you shake your head, “We need a game plan.”

“Isaacs going to find Allison to see if she can help more. Argent will come with them and he’s petty good at tracking,” Scott begins, “Lydia’s with Aiden at Stiles’ house to see if she can find anything in his room with all the strings. I’ll stick with the Sheriff and help him with any other leads he’s got. You said that Derek and Peter were checking the Iron Works earlier?” 

You nodded your head and looked at Derek, “We found nothing. Peter’s asking around downtown to see if anyone’s seen anything or to see if he can catch a scent,” he tells you guys and Scotts annoyed but nods in agreement anyways.

You figure that he just wants to find Stiles and figures that there’s no point in arguing it. It leaves just you and Derek.

“What are we not covering?” you ask.

Scott turns his gaze to you and the three of you have the same idea, “The high school, you two go check the high school.”

Nodding your head, you and Derek make your way out of the hospital pretty quickly and are, thankfully, not stopped by anyone on the way. You follow Derek out of the lot on your bike.

He can tell that she’s worried but the boy has no idea, it will make the destruction all the sweeter. His phone’s dying and the little bit of light that he had is now disappearing from him. He watches as the boy tries to pull the bear trap off his leg again and he steps back out. If he’s going to get his feast, he needs to push this one to stay alive and reach his potential.

The sound must have caught his host’s attention because he’s asking, “Who’s there?” and then screaming, “Who are you?”

Walking amongst the things his host has created, he responds, “私は彼女をあなたの手を使って破壊し、あなたがそれを理解したときにあなたが感じる悲しみを祝います”

Stiles doesn’t understand what the man before him is saying and he’s already made it clear but he just kept talking in the same language and Stiles is genuinely afraid that Scotts not gonna make it. That Natasha isn’t gonna make it and he can feel the tears form, “I don’t,” a sob breaks through, “I don’t understand,” he says as he pushes himself against the wall.

Suddenly, the creature with him is speaking in accented English, “Not who are you, Stiles. Who are we?”

Stiles tries to push himself up but the trap digs in and he lets out a pain filled grunt as he falls back. The creature doesn’t help him but continues, “It’s getting colder, Stiles. Did you notice, we stopped shivering?” The creature sounds genuinely annoyed at that and Stiles has to stop and breathe for a moment before he realizes that his breathing is getting shallower.

“Do you know why that’s a bad sign?”

“It’s the body trying to conserve energy. It was my fifth-grade science report, hypothermia,” Stiles says as he tries to move his body some. He’s going to die in this basement it would seem.

“Our speech is starting to thicken. Then comes fatigue. Confusion. We’re going to die if we don’t get out of here. We have too many things to do to die, Stiles.”

There’s a taunting in the voice that irriates him and Stiles shakes his head, “Stop saying that. Stop saying we.”

The creature just ignores him, “We’re trying to keep you from freezing to death.” He sounds like he’s getting angrier when he says, “You better get up, Stiles.”

“How?!” he yells back and motions to his leg, “There’s a freaking steel-jawed trap on my leg!”

The creature is silent for a moment and then all Stiles sees are silver sharpened spiked teeth, “Is there?” comes the whisper.

Sure that he’s about to die, that his father is going to have to bury him next to his mother, Stiles begins sobbing. He turns his body to sit in a different position.

“Notice something different?” the creature asks. “It was on your right leg before wasn’t it?”

Stiles looks and sees that the trap is on his left leg, “No…” he murmurs softly. The creature asks him if he’s sure and he remembers it being on the right leg. But how can that be? He turns back to the voice, “What is this? What are you doing?”

“We are trying to save you, Stiles. We’re trying to save your life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Taunt: I will destroy her using your hands and feast on your sorrow when you understand what you have done
> 
> Please be advised however that I do not speak Japanse. I did want to use what was actually said in the show but could not find a translation in the time that I had. So, I went with a taunt. I will put what the taunt should be after the tag list. If someone who reads Japanese sees this and knows it’s wrong, please let me know I am happy to adjust/ fix.


	28. Chapter 28

Pulling up to the high school, you’re removing your helmet as Derek gets out of his jeep

“Scott called,” he tells you, “Lydia thinks he’s at Eichen House.”

“Somehow I don’t get the feeling that it’s a very pleasant place.”

“It’s a mental health center, built in the early 1900s its been in service since 1912. Your old friend, Barrow, had been committed there.”

You tensed up. if Barrow had been committed there… well, you weren’t sure you wanted to know just what it would mean.

“How sure is she?”

You meet Derek’s eyes and you can see the concern in them. He seems to think your question through before he answers, “She’s positive but she’s also a young banshee who’s only had access to her powers for a short amount of time. She didn’t even know what they were at first and tried to ignore them. If it hadn’t been for Jennifer, she probably would have avoided it a bit longer.”

You can hear the frustration in his voice and let out a groan, “Of course.” You had wanted Lydia to be right. Wanted Derek to reassure you that she was going to find Stiles but if she was young and still learning, well she could be wrong. Turning to the school, you nod your head before making your way over, “Then we better check the school.”

“Start on the roof, I’ll start in the basement and we’ll meet in the middle. Trust your instincts,” Derek reminds you as you walk towards the building. Getting to the door, it takes him seconds to pick the lock and he’s opening the door.

As soon as you walk in, you know “He’s not here.”

Derek turns to you and raises an eyebrow, the question evident in his face before he even asks. Still, he asks you if you’re sure and you want to nod your head but Derek had reminded you to trust your instincts.

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath and try to listen to your instincts, see if they’ve got any guidance to give but they’re silent. So, you shake your head and Derek nods, the two of you splitting up to take the different parts of the school.

As you make your way through the school, you can’t help but feel more and more convinced that Stiles isn’t here but your instincts remain silent.

Working through the rooms at the top you find that there was nothing there. You made your way through the hallways and checked the classrooms making your way downstairs. It didn’t take long for you before you were meeting up with Derek again.

“Anything?”

“Not a damn thing.”

His phone goes off and he answers, putting the phone on speaker, “Was he there Scott?”

“No, Lydia’s not sure why it didn’t work but he wasn’t here and the Sheriff is working with the deputies to see where else he might be. Did you guys have any luck?”

“No, nothing.”

You could hear Scott growl and grumbling under his breath, a moment later he was back on the line, “I’m sending you Aiden. He’ll be there in about 10 minutes,” he said before hanging up the line.

Derek looks at the phone and then turns to you, “You gonna be okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Your cousin looks at you and this time his raised eyebrow conveys his disbelief. Crossing your arms, you raise your eyebrow in a questioning manner, the expression he uses, an expression that he had taught you years ago.

“Don’t you give me that look, it’s a valid question.”

Groaning, you shake your head, “Derek, I’m fine. Can we please focus on finding Stiles? I’d say that’s probably the most important thing right now?”

He gives you a look that you’re not sure that you can decipher it but a moment later, he nods his head. The two of you are making your way back towards his Jeep and your bike when suddenly there’s a sharp pain in your leg and it feels like the tibia is being shattered.

You yelp in pain as you feel your balance go. Thankfully, Derek is beside you instantly, supporting your weight. A reprimanding growl on his lips, “You’re not okay.”

He helps you to his jeep and as the two of you make your way to his jeep you realize that the bone is fine. You can put weight on it with no issue. Which is actually very confusing. You can heal quickly but the tibia usually takes a couple of minutes.

Derek notices this as well when he sits you the jeep he moves to check the bone. His hands are squeezing the muscle and you find that it’s not even sore. The two of you look at each other and you’re confused yourself, so you have no answers for him.

“Something’s not right, Little Wolf,” he whispered and you nodded your head.

“I can’t tell you what it is though Derek. I… I have no idea what it could be…” you whisper softly, horror leaking into your voice. You can feel your heart rate begin to pick up as you stare at him,

The two of you remained silent for a moment. You took deep breaths to control your heart rate. There was nothing around you that would make sense for you to be freaking out but you can feel the fear rushing through you.

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Derek tilt his head, he’s observing you and you can’t blame him. There is absolutely no explanation for whatever is going on with you currently and you were sure he wouldn’t either.

It’s not long before the roaring of Aiden’s bike comes into your ears and you both turn to look at him as he comes to a stop.

Removing his helmet, Aidens the first to talk, “So, do we really think he’s just sleep-walking or do we think there’s something more?”

You narrow your gaze on the boy but before you can say anything, Derek’s answering, “In this town, there’s always something more.”

Aiden looks at you and then at Derek, “What if I told you I know something more? Natasha does too.” he motions at you.

Derek looks at you in confusion and you return the look, “What would you know that I know?”

Aiden raises his eyebrow and you can’t help but wonder if that’s the only way that these boys can communicate when he says “I kind of overhead… Well, I listened in on the three of you. Stiles thinks he was the one that wrote that message in the chemistry room.”

You growl at him, your eyes flashing and you curl your lip at him, “That wasn’t him.”

“Wait, what message?” Derek cuts in, stepping between the both of you.

“The message telling Barrow to kill Kira,” Aiden points out, as he meets your gaze.

Your growl hasn’t subsided and actually becomes more threatening. Jumping off the hood of the jeep you start stalking towards Aiden when Derek puts a hand on your shoulder.

“You think Stiles, skinny defenseless Stiles is the Nogitsune? A powerful dark spirit?” The disbelief in his voice was evident and there was a level of amusement to it as well.

“He’s not-” you begin to say but are cut off by Aidens exasperation.

“I’m not the only one thinking it. I’m just the one saying it.”

“You’re both wrong.”

“You know there’s something off with him Natasha. It doesn’t make sense for him to be.. This,” he motions with his hands at the world around him.

Before you can say anything, Derek speaks up, “This thing wants to possess someone and it chooses Stiles? Why not someone bigger, stronger?” He motions between you, Aiden and himself before continuing, “Someone with a little bit more… power?”

There’s something about the way that he says the word power that reminds you of something. It takes you a second to realize exactly what it is but when you do, you’re instincts take over and point out **“At the substation, Stiles said that Kira had taken on 1.21 gigawatts of electricity when Barrow tried to kill her. What if… what if that’s the power it needed?”**

“What do you mean?” Aiden asks and you can feel your hackles rise at what it is that your instincts think.

“Little Wolf? What’s going on?”

You shake your head and try to figure out what it is that your instincts have figured out, “The Nogitsune is a dark kitsune spirit, right?”

Derek nods his head and you continue, “What if - What if the dark kitsune couldn’t take over Kira because she’s already a kitsune? And what if it can’t be a wolf?”

“Why couldn’t be a wolf?”

“Well think about it, it’d be two shape-shifters in one body? That’s not feasible the body wouldn’t know what characteristics to take on. But it could take over a body that doesn’t shape-shift. The electricity could have given it the power to be able to actually enter the body.”

“But that would mean that someone else had to be electrocuted.”

“I think there was…” you point out as you remember the vision you’d had. “There was a Valkyrie Derek…”

His face seems to pale from the distance that you’re at and Aiden’s face scrunches in confusion. You don’t clarify anything for Aiden but you nod your head at Derek. “You need to get Kira.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I need to get his scent so I can find him.”

Derek nods at you and looks at Aiden, “Let’s get going.” Aiden goes to argue but Derek stops him, “Just trust us. I promise if we explain it, it won’t make any sense.”

Aiden looks like just trusting you isn’t really the highlight of his priorities but he nods his head after a moment and the two of them make their way towards Derek’s Jeep to go get Kira.

Running back into the school building, you run over to the boys’ gym lockers. Thankfully, he’d left behind some clothing from practice earlier and it had his scent drenched in the fabric still. Taking a deep breath, you make your way out of the locker room and follow the scent.

You’re about to strip and shift to your wolf form when your instincts point out, **you need to be human for this part. If you find him as a wolf, he won’t recognize you.**

A sigh escapes your lips as you realize, Stiles has never seen you in your wolf form. So, jumping on your bike, you leave the visor up and make your way through the city.

He watches his host, the shivering has stopped and he almost seems to have given up. He once again creates chalk and continues to write on the wall, the kanji will mean something to them all eventually.

As he writes, he asks, “You don’t understand do you?” He’s debating whether to be excited that his host doesn’t understand as it means that there is more to feed on or annoyed that his host doesn’t understand because he needs him to live.

He needs to get out of here to feed. When his host says nothing but a grunt escapes his lips, he continues, “It’s a riddle. Do you know any riddles, Stiles?”

It’s a rhetorical question, he already knows the answer and he knows which ones his host knows. He knows just about everything about his host, so when Stiles says he knows a few he asks, “What gets bigger the more you take away?”

“A hole,” Stiles responds

He moves and turns to the creature he’s chosen as a host, “What gets wetter the more it dries?”

“A towel,” comes the shaky voice of Stiles and Void can’t help the excitement he feels Stiles terror grow.

“When is a door not a door?”

Stiles hears the last riddle and his blood runs cold. Whatever this is, it has to do with the sacrifice to the Nemeton. He remembers Deaton putting together the sign language and he’d been so annoyed when Scott had answered. He gives the same answer now, “When it’s ajar,” his voice is shaking when he responds.

He watches as the creature turns back to the wall and the backward five. It keeps asking him riddles, “Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?”

Stiles gives the smallest shake of his head, his voice breathless as he responds “I don’t..”

It seems that frustrates the creature as it turns around and, moving towards him, repeats the answer riddle, this time a bit slower asking, “What is it, Stiles?”

Stiles shakes his head, he wants the answer but the thing is that his mind is foggy and he can’t seem to think things through. He really wants to just close his eyes but knows that’ll be his death. So shaking his head he again says he doesn’t know.

This time the creature asks the same thing, faster. Almost as if asking faster is going to help either of them at this point. It then starts to speak in a language that Stiles doesn’t understand. He snaps at the creature only to see that it’s in front of him.

It screams in his face, something he cannot understand but he can tell that it’s nothing good. It’s a threat and turning away from the creatures face Stiles is hyperventilating before suddenly he’s being dragged.

The creature has grabbed the bear traps chain and he can feel it digging into him, he can only scream out the word no in terror.


	29. Chapter 29

You’d been riding through the city, not really sure where to go. Though it would seem that your instincts kept pulling you towards the preserve. The only thing was that Stiles had said he was in an industrial basement of some kind.

Taking a deep breath, you sifted through the scents you caught. Stiles’ scent was everywhere but nothing seemed to be stronger than anything else outside of his house and it was getting somewhat annoying.

You continued through the city and could feel that your instincts kept pushing you towards the preserve. Getting somewhat distracted, you ended up riding in the wrong lane and a car horn made you snap back to reality. Once you’d righted the bike, you pulled over.

“Alright think, let’s think this through. Where in the hell could he be?” you ask yourself as you pull your helmet off.

 **Go to the preserve** , your instincts push again, this time annoyed, and somehow you’re sure that this is either a really good or a really bad idea. If he’s not there that means that you’re wasting time. But if he is there, and everyone else is checking buildings then they’ll never find him in time.

Pulling your phone out, you dialed out.

“I haven’t found him but there was a homeless man who remembered seeing someone that matches your Stiles’ description running around downtown, Little Wolf,” Peter says without preamble.

You can’t help the soft smile that tugs at the corner of your lips. Peter has always been willing to move the stars for you if needed. And while Stiles may not be his favorite person, he’d gone to look for him because he was your friend.

“I think he’s in the preserve,” you tell him.

“You’re sure?” You can hear the hint of disbelief in his voice but he hides it pretty well but Peters gonna be the one that understands you’re response the most.

“It’s instinct.”

There’s no hesitation or disbelief in his voice this time “Alright then. I’ll stop by the apartment and get the stuff out of the dryer. I’ll meet you there.”

“What do you need from the apartment?” you ask but the line has already been cut off.

Sighing, you start your bike back up and make your way through the city towards the preserve. Before you realize it, your riding behind a black SUV. You continue to follow and as you do you can hear a taunting voice.

Unsure of what it is, you speed up past the SUV and take the first turn you find. Putting the bike in park, you kick the kickstand down and are getting off the bike when you hear the gravel moving under the weight of a car.

Turning, you see the black SUV that you had passed earlier. Once parked, the headlights are switched off and you see both Mr. Suit and Melissa get off the jeep.

“Natasha?” Melissa calls, probably to confirm she’s actually seeing you.

Raising your hand, you nod your head, Hey Mrs…” you’re about to greet her formally but you realize that McCall is Mr. Suits last name and you’re not sure that she would appreciate being called Mrs. MCCall in front of her ex. So, clearing your throat you try to correct, “Hey, Ms. Melissa…”

She gives you a look that you’re sure she is chuckling. Meanwhile, Mr. Suit clears his throat, “Miss Ragnulf.” Greeting him politely, you’re not at all surprised when he asks what it is you’re doing out here.

“Well, Stiles showed me the preserve a couple times and he’s always been really excited when he talks about it and Aiden and I were talking to Derek. Figured he might be sleep-walking and so here I am. Figured I could come take a look.”

Mr. Suit looks at you and raises an eyebrow, “By yourself?”

You can hear the surprise and suspicion in his voice so you shake your head but before you can say anything, there’s another voice.

“Actually, I’m with her. Though admittedly I am a bit behind,” Peter says as he steps up next to you. “Unfortunate side-effect of disliking the woods I’m afraid.”

You nudge Peter with your elbow but he doesn’t seem to react. Turning to look at him you see that his eyes are on Melissa. He nods his head and says, “Melissa.” It’s a soft greeting that to most people doesn’t sound any different but you’ve known Peter long enough to know that this is him being cautious.

He’s nervous about something and you’re not sure what. His gaze stays on Melissa though and you follow it. It’s too dark to be sure but you think she might be blushing. However, her gaze is sharp and she greets Peter somewhat tersely.

You’re not the only one that notices the somewhat odd exchange as you see Mr. Suits eyes flick between the two of them.

Something occurs to you and you figure you may as well save the adults from whatever awkwardness is going on. So, clearing your throat you ask Mr. Suit and Melissa, “Seeing as we are all here, trying to save Stiles, I might add, why don’t we get to searching for him?”

You see Mr. Suit nod his head “Scott had said Stiles had said that ‘something smells terrible. My eyes are watering.’ We should probably start off with the coyote den.” He started walking off the path and through some of the underbrush.

It took you a second to remember the den, but as soon as you do you move to follow him, “Why the coyote den?”

“To keep it clear, we had sprayed some repellant. Smelled absolutely awful. Couldn’t get near it without my eyes watering.”

You turn to look at Peter who grimaces slightly but nods his head. If the smell was bad enough for a human to be bothered by it, it was likely that it was going to cause you and him a hell of a lot of pain.

As the group of you hike through the woods, you realize that you’re actually not that far from what had been Malia’s den. You’re not sure if that’s a stroke of luck or a blessing from Odin but your grateful. It makes you move a little faster.

You end up further ahead than Mr. Suit and Melissa, Peter not too far behind when there’s a sudden screaming. It sounds distant at first and you turn around trying to pinpoint it. The thing is, no one else seems to hear it. Not even Peter. Slowly, the screaming gets louder and louder until it feels like your head is going to explode from the pressure.

Placing your hands on your ears you try to make out the language. It takes you a moment to recognize it, and you only do because you remember your dad’s business partners talking in Japanese. Though to be honest, recognizing the language does you almost no good, you don’t know the language well enough to make out the words.

Trying to focus on the words that are being screamed, you almost don’t hear Agent McCall when he calls out that he’s found something. Still it’s in such a fog that it takes Peter grabbing your arm and tugging you forwards for you to realize it.

The stench of whatever they had put in the den made your eyes water and you had to step backwards. Forcing air out of your nostrils to try and clear them, you felt like a horse. You heard Peter making the same frustrated nose clearing sounds and, holding your breath, pushed through the disgusting smell towards the cave.

Hearing Stiles’ panicked screaming you let out a threatening growl, one that promised death to the one responsible. You were about to rush in and had transformed when you were pulled back by a pair of arms around your torso. A grunt left you and you turned to snarl at the person when Peter snapped his teeth at you, “Remember, Little Wolf, there are no wolves in California. You also need to focus because right now you’ve got bright purple eyes and if Agent McCall sees them he’s going to have some questions. I don’t think that Agent McCall here is the right person to point out the supernatural to.”

You shake your head and try to take some deep breaths but you can hear Stiles screaming continue and you continue to fight against Peters hold. Eventually, you’re able to get out of his grip and you make it Stiles just as Agent McCall is pulling him out of the cave itself. Stiles’ terrified screaming is begging someone to wait.

He’s thrashing around and both you and Melissa reach out to Agent McCall to help him pull the brunette out of the cave. As he continues to struggle against whoever he thinks is holding him, he manages to knock you down. Immediately, you start calling his name.

At first, he doesn’t seem to react but throughout all his thrashing you’re somehow able to grab a hold of his hand, “Stiles it’s okay now,” you call out but still no response.

Holding tightly to his hand, you wrap your arms around his chest, you continue to try to soothe him, “Stiles! Stiles, it’s me. Listen to my voice. Listen to me, Stiles.”

You have to repeat his name a couple times but eventually, he stops struggling and turns to look at you. There’s terror in his eyes and you can see something lurking for just a second before you’re distracted by him calling your name.

His brown eyes are searching your face and you can’t help the sigh of relief, “Hi there.”

The hand you were holding tightens in yours, almost painfully, “Is it really you?”

You nod your head, swallowing past the lump in your throat. “Yeah, it’s me,” you whisper.

You can almost feel his body sag in relief when a moment later Peter’s next to you. He’s wrapping Stiles in a warm blanket and, at your questioning eyebrow, he offers an explanation, “Figured if he was hypothermic he’d be able to use some warm clothes I’ve got some warm sweats in the car for him too.”

Stiles goes to say something but his words are so slurred that you can barely make it out. Melissa nods her head before turning to the both of you, “Stiles can you make it to Peter’s car? Natasha and I can both help you.”

It’s obvious, to you, that Stiles doesn’t like the idea but he nods his head anyways. Thankfully, it doesn’t take very long before you’re back at Peters car. He had, in fact, brought a change of warm clothing and had even managed to keep it warm by using some kind of portable warmer that you didn’t really recognize.

Melissa looked vaguely impressed as she sat Stiles down on the seat. Once he was situated, she told him tath she was going to have to change him. He nodded his head to show his understanding and Melissa turned to ask you for help.

“Absolutely not!” Peter cut in.

Both you and Melissa turned to look at him, and he’s shaking his head. “You,” he points directly at you, “Move over there,” he motions towards the tree line a good distance.

“Peter-” you begin, but he growls.

“Nope, you are not mated and I will not have you - nope. You stay away from him.”

“Oh for the love of- Its medical! It’s not like they’re going to do anything and besides, there are three adults here!”

Peter doesn’t seem to care as he has moved over and is dragging you towards the trees. You’re torn between wanting the ground to swallow you whole and snapping back at him. Figuring the second is easier you try to tug out of his grip.

“Peter!” you call when he doesn’t let go, “Melissa needs help getting Stiles into something warm. Let me go!”

He turns around and holing your shoulders, meets your gaze. When he speaks, his words are low and somewhat annoyed, “Little Wolf, if he is your mate, you’re going to want to scent him as soon as his skin is visible.” You can feel yourself become warm in embarrassment but Peter presses on, “It would be an almost uncontrollable urge when you’re in your right mind. You, my dear, have been fighting your wolf. If Stiles is your mate you will rob him of the choice to be scented and if he is not your mate then your future mate will not be very happy that you’ve been around another male naked.”

“It’s medical, not anything else.”

“Yet your eyes are still purple which means you’re more wolf than human right now. I need your human logic to take over, not your wolf logic. I’ll go help Melissa, you stay here.”

He gives you a look that, had he still been an Alpha, would have ensured your obedience. As it is, you choose to obey because he is your uncle and it’s a form of respect. You watch as Peter helps Melissa and soon enough, Scotts dad is walking up to you.

He’d apparently been trying to get enough signal to make a phone call. How Stiles had had any in the den you’re not sure but you figure he’s probably got a really good carrier. AT&T or Verizon you’d bet.

“An ambulance is about 15 minutes out,” he says loud enough for Melissa to hear.

You nod your head but Melissas calling back, “That’s too long. His body temperature feels too low, we need to get him to the hospital now.”

Peter’s already adjusting Stiles in the passenger seat of his car, laying him as flat as he can by pushing the seat back and Rafael nods his head. He offers to give Peter an escort and before you know it, you and Melissa are piled in the back of Peters car and you’re racing after the SUV.

Melissa had placed the warm blanket on Stiles though she had told Peter to keep the heater off. You were sitting behind him, as Melissa kept an eye on his pulse and his breathing. At first, you had started to rub his arms but Melissa had stopped you. Apparently, if you started with the extremities it was possible to push cold blood to his heart and stop it.

Instead, she had directed your hands to be placed on either side of his neck. Slowly, he begins to shiver. You pull your hands away but Melissa doesn’t reprimand you as she restarts the count under her breath. You’re confused and look over to Peter who’s not paying attention to you and then to Stiles.

He must see the confusion on your face because he says, “It’s okay.. It means my body has enough energy to try to keep me alive.”

You offer a small smile and return your hands to his neck.

It’s not much later that you end up at the hospital. Peter and Melissa rush Stiles and the doctors get him. They basically keep him under warm blankets and you watch them put him in a room. Pulling your phone out, you send a message to Isaac, Derek and Aiden letting them know that Stiles had been found and was in doctors Feeling suddenly exhausted, you sink down on one of the waiting room chairs, you watch Scotts dad leaning against the wall. Peter comes out and sinks in the chair next to you.

He looks at you before he puts an arm around you and pulls you in kissing the top of your head. A moment later, the Sheriff is running in asking about his son, Scott and Lydia not far behind. The commotion must catch the attention of the offices in the back because Melissa comes out a moment later and tells the Sheriff that Stiles is in good hands. Scott and Lydia are asking if they can see him and Melissa has to calm everyone down and get them to sit down.

She tells everyone to take a seat and you watch as Scott and Lydia move to sit down. When their eyes catch Peter they both stop. Peter, for his part, acts as if there’s nothing different as he continues to rub your shoulder. However, Lydia’s and Scott’s glares irritate him and a moment later he shakes his head, “It’s not polite to stare. And while I know I am a specimen to behold, I would appreciate it if you would quit it.”

You elbow him as both Scott and Lydia scoff. They take their seats on the other side of the room. The room is tense and you’re sure that most of that comes from everyone worrying about Stiles but you’re also sure that Peter’s presence has something to do with it. You’re not sure how long you’re all there for but you must have dozed off because Peter is nudging you awake.

You turn to see the Sheriff walking back towards your group. Everyone stands and moves towards him but he puts his hand up, halting your progress.

“He’s sleeping now,” he sighs. “And he’s just fine. He doesn’t remember much. It’s a bit like a dream to him.”

The Sheriff then looks at you, Peter and Scott’s dad, “Thank you.”

“It was nothing,” you say with a shake of your head.

“Well it was something,” Peter contradicts you and you elbow him again, scolding him.

Mr. Stilinski lets out a humorless chuckle and shakes his head, “He’s right, it was something. It wasn’t nothing. It was absolutely everything. You saved my son.“

Mr. Stilinski shares a look that has a bit more meaning behind it with Scott’s dad who, suddenly, looks uncomfortable. “It was that repellent we sprayed in the coyote den to keep other animals out. I couldn’t go near it without my eyes watering,” he brushes off. “It’s just a good thing he mentioned it over the phone.”

You can tell that Peter wants to say something but before he does, you dig your claws into his arm. Whatever’s going on between the two men needs to be played out. Peter makes no verbal indication at your claws but you can feel his fist clench.

“No. it was more than that. Thank you,” Mr. Stilinski is saying and when Scott’s dad, again, brushes it off, he swings his arms out in frustration.

“McCall,” he begins, “Can you shut up please and accept my sincerest gratitude?”

You can hear Scott’s dad swallow somewhat uncomfortably before he nods his head, “Accepted,” he responds and the two shake hands. Some sort of understanding seems to pass between them.

“Well, I would like to have someone’s gratitude.”

Scoffing, you look to your cousin, “You’re a child. You know that?”

He merely shrugs and Melissa is rushing everyone out of the waiting room. “You’ve got school is less than 6 hours.”

“I’ll go get the car, Little Wolf. I’ll pick you up in the front,” Peter says. At your nod of acceptance, he moves quickly.

Scott and Lydia are murmuring to each other, both frustrated and feeling useless.

“Hey,” you call out. When you have their attention, you shake your head and lower your voice, as you all make your way out, “This wasn’t on you. Your powers are still new to you right?”

You wait for Lydia to nod her head and continued, “You’ll get it down eventually. These things aren’t really a science. They’re more of an art.”

Lydia nods her head and you both hug. You give her a reassuring squeeze and she’s off walking towards her car. Scott, however, stays behind.

“How did you guys end up with my mom?”

“After we checked the school, Derek, Aiden and I split up. My instincts kept pulling me towards the preserve. Figured the only one that wouldn’t really question me would be Derek or Peter.”

“So why call Peter?”

“Peter’s always encouraged me to trust my instincts. He’s a little more wolf than man. In the moment, it just made more sense,” you shrug.

Scott looks at you for a moment then nods his head. He pulls you into a hug and thanks you.

“Need me to wait?” he asks as he pulls away from the hug.

“Nah, Peter won’t be too far at this point. Go get some rest.”


	30. Chapter 30

You’re at lunch with Lydia, Isaac, and Allison. Isaac and Allison are talking about some weird voicemail she had gotten yesterday and Lydia seems like she’s lost. Every sound seems to make her jumpy. **  
**

Reaching out, you cover her hands with yours. She looks up at you and smiles sadly. Rubbing your fingers across her knuckles, you offer whatever support you actually can.

It takes her a moment, but she squeezes your hand back before she turns to Ally, “So what do you know about the recording?”

“Nothing yet. We’re going to ask Mr. Yukimura after classes today. Did you wanna come with?”

Lydia immediately shakes her head, “I should just head home.”

“Are you sure?”

Lydia nods her head before standing up from the table abruptly and making her way out of the cafeteria.

“What about you Tasha?” Allison asks.

You had watched Lydia walk out of the cafeteria, eyes still glued to her retreating form you nodded your head, offering an absentminded, “sure.”

Pulling your phone out you look at the texts you’d gotten.

 **Peter:** I’ve got a possible lead. But let me stress this Little Wolf, there is no guarantee this is going to work.

 **Ro:** Dad’s trying to get in contact with Mr. Akihiro

 **Aaric:** T and I are trying to get in contact with Akimi and Asuka.

 **T:** They’ve gone underground since their Tia got another tail. It’s apparently not a good idea to piss off a four-tailed kitsune.

You look at the texts but don’t respond. Of course, there’s no guarantee that anything would work. You were dealing with a damned Kukan. These weren’t like demons, not something to be excorcised by some holy person. You’re not even sure Constantine could help with this.

Kukan were a force of nature, like all other Kitsune they enjoyed mischief. But a Kukan derived its pleasure from chaos, from fear, and from the powerlessness those they played their tricks upon felt.

The boys, well you weren’t sure that you liked the idea of Aaric and T anywhere near Akimi or Asuka but that just may be because the two had been trying to secure what you saw as yours.

Hearing your name being called, you turn and see Derek coming down the halls. Waiting for him, it’s not long before he’s got a hand on your shoulder and is lifting your chin.

“Peter said you had a rough night.”

You made a hmm sound in the affirmative, “Bad enough I wanted to shift.”

“And today?”

“Back to the dull ache. Whatever last night was about it seems to have settled if only for now. Though, I’m not sure that means anything.”

“Wait, back to a dull ache?” Derek stresses the word back and you realize that you hadn’t told him that the ache was there. It was just always something you dealt with. Isaac knew but he hadn’t told Derek which made you smile.

Shaking your head at Derek you murmur, “It’s nothing. Leave it be.”

Derek’s face scrunches in that way that you know means he’s annoyed but there’s nothing to be done for it and you tell him as much. He merely makes a negative huffing like sound.

Wanting to change the subject, you step away and ask “So, were you able to get a hold of Kira?”

“Found her scent but she was at home.”

“Why didn’t you have Aiden knock and ask for her?”

“Because it was after midnight and you have school today,” he points out like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Truthfully, it should have been but you had been much too distracted with everything going on. Stiles’ well being had been the most important thing.

“Well then, we’ll have to find her. It won’t take too long. Classes are gonna be out in about 10 minutes. First, though I wanna check on Scott.”

He nods his head and the two of you make your way to the boys’ locker room, Derek goes in and a moment later he’s out with Scott.

“Anything?”

You shake your head, “Nothing concrete. Though not for lack of trying.”

“Deaton says he’s still looking into it too.”

Scott pulls his backpack tighter against his shoulder, “I’m gonna go check on him - in the hospital. Make sure he’s doing okay. You wanna come?”

You start to say yes but the weight of your cousin’s hand on your shoulder stops you.

“She can’t. We’ve got a few things to take care of first.”

Scott just nods his head. You reach out and squeeze his arm, trying to be reassuring. When he turns to you, you suggest “I can come by after.”

Just as the words leave your lips the bell rings. The sound seems to take Scott by surprise but he nods his head. He turns and begins to walk away. The sight of him breaking your heart, it’s as if every step carries the weight of the world with it.

You look at Derek and then back to Scott. It takes you a split second to make the choice but you do. Moving towards Scott you call over your shoulder, “Text me the details. I’ll be there in a bit.”

Scott’s not made it very far so you’re able to fall in step with him pretty quickly, “I’ll give you a ride to the hospital.’

“But my bike-” he begins before being cut off by your negative tsking sounds, “You can have one of the twins get it for you or have someone bring you back when you’re in better shape but if you ride right now, you’re not gonna make it in one piece.”

Scott stops his walk and turns to look at you, his eyes are scrutinizing you and you wait for him to say something. He hasn’t struck you as the type to lash out but he’s going through a lot and, from what you’ve seen with Stiles, he probably hasn’t had a chance to recover from the issue with the sacrifices.

He nods his head and you motion for him to follow you towards your bike. As the two of you walk, he thanks you - for finding Stiles.

“It was nothing,” you brush off, uncomfortable with the praise. A part of you feels like you should have kept him from ever ending up there. It was something that you were gonna have to work on.

“It’s not nothing Natasha. He could have died if you hadn’t found him! The rest of us were looking in buildings but you thought about the preserve.”

“Scott,” you beg, “it was instinctual and I got lucky.”

“But you listened to them.”

At this point, Scotts stepped in front of you and you can only nod your head as you bite your lower lip. You’re not sure what Scott sees on your features but he deflates and nods his head as well, “Let’s go.”

Hopping on your bike, you wait for Scott to get situated before the two of you are taking off. It doesn’t take you nearly as long as you thought it would, or you’re more distracted with your thoughts than you care to admit before you’re pulling up to the hospital.

Taking his helmet off, Scott asks you, “Are you sure you don’t want to come in right now?”

Grateful for the visor that covers your face gives you a moment, you shake your head before lifting, “I have to take care of something with Derek. Hopefully, it’ll help with whatever this is.”

“Have you ever dealt with something like this?”

“Not me… I don’t think anyone in my family has. But, they’re looking into it.”

Scott nods his head and walks into the hospital. You watch him go before checking your phone. Derek’s taken Kira to the substation to walk through what happened with Barrow. It’s a good idea, especially if that had been a vision of something more.

Revving up your bike, you pull up not too long after them. The three of you are walking through the room and you have to work at controlling your breathing. The place is threatening to overwhelm you with memories of that night.

“It’s Stiles’ bat…” you hear Derek say.

Looking to where he and Kira are, you see that Stiles’ bat had, in fact, managed to get stuck to some metal box of some sort. Derek goes to pull the bat down but it takes him a moment and he actually has to put some strength into it.

“Der?” you ask softly,

“It’s magnetized,” he says as he moves the bat against what looks to be a scratch on the floor. The bat travels along the scratch when it gets pulled to the metal box.

Stepping back from it, Derek looks at you then at Kira. “Kira, I need you to tell me everything you know about foxfire.”

Kira looks at you, a terrified look on her face before she begins to shake her head, “I - I don’t.. I don’t know anything more than just the, just - um… children’s stories.”

“Kira, it’s okay,” you reassure her, “Just tell us what you do know.”

They’re running tests on his host but the blood work is all coming back normal. The wonderful thing about technology is, the more the humans have evolved it, the less they believe in his powers. Which makes them more terrified when they’re unleashed.

The problem is he’s not a demon. He can’t just posses his host. No, he has to get approval since the man is still alive. Which means that he has to figure out a way to be allowed in. Threatening the girl hadn’t done anything so he would have to get more creative. 

They’re taking him to a new room and this one has a machine in it. Watching the group, there is his host’s father, his best friend, and the mother figure. Another man, this one in white is talking to him, “… you’re going to hear a lot of noise during the MRI. It’s due to pulses of electricity…”

Void’s laughter echoes within his host’s mind and he can feel the terror. The electricity is going to allow him to communicate. But, what to do with the gift he’s been given.

His father walks out and he observes as Stiles turns to Scott, “You know what they’re looking for right?”

Scott looks like he’s trying to put it together for a moment and Void needs him not to get it. He needs to know what this healer is looking for.

“It’s called frontotemporal dementia,” Stiles is saying and that’s when he has it. Quieting down, he listens to what Stiles has to say and begins to sift through the memories the boy has, “Areas of your brain start to shrink. It’s what my mother had… It’s the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers… There’s no cure..”

Sinking further into the memories, Void looks for the memories that involving the mother. He can hear Scott promising to do something, to fix the situation should his host have this frontotemporal dementia. It makes no difference, he only needs his host to accept him and then there is nothing they can do. Stiles will be no more. Once he has the memories he wants just below the surface, he notices that Stiles is now in the machine.

Feeling the electricity crackling Void relishes in each pulse of electricity.

Pulling into the hospital parking lot, Derek’s lucky to get a parking spot pretty close to the front. He gets off the jeep quickly followed by you and Kira. While she hadn’t known a whole lot about fox fire, what she did know from her stories was rather terrifying and you needed to get the information to Scott.

You’re rushing but Derek calls your name and you turn to see Kira, standing nervously by the jeep.

“Kira?”

“I don’t know if I should go in. You’re going to tell Scott that Barrow might have used fox-fire, created by me, to jumpstart the Nogitsune’s power inside Stiles”

The way she words it sounds awful and you nod your head but Derek looks like it hasn’t clicked so you point out, “We’re going to tell Scott that she basically helped a dark spirit take control of his best friend.”

You can see it click in Derek and he tells her she should probably stay behind. Tossing her the keys, the two of you make your way into the hospital building.

Finding Scott turns out to be pretty easy, grabbing his attention he comes to you and Derek. “I’ll let you two talk,” you motion. “Ummm, where’s Stiles?”

“They’re uh- gonna run some MRI stuff. If you wanna go check on him before they start or uh- let the sheriff know you’re here,” Scott informs you, pointing at a door just down the hall.

You look towards the door but decide against going in there. You’re not exactly sure that you’re welcome. Clearing your throat you inform them that you’ll just go get some water and be back in a bit.

You take your time getting the water. Figuring that you should check on Allison and Isaac you call. When Isaac doesn’t pick up, you try Allison. It would seem that the voicemail that Allison got was a prank of some sort from a Japanese internment camp. The problem is that the one on Allison’s phone has to be a fake as the name of the internment camp, Oak Creek, wasn’t actually one that existed.

When she asks where you are, you tell her, you’re at the hospital waiting with Scott for them to do some tests on Stiles. She asks if you want her to come over and you agree, thinking that Scott would probably appreciate the help the most.

Not sure how long it actually takes but when you make your way back up to the waiting room their in, you hear Derek and Scott conversing.

“Think of it more like sharing a few trade secrets,” Derek is saying and you smile softly. It would seem that Derek is doing something for Scott. You’re willing to bet it’s a way of helping him. Derek, meanwhile, hasn’t finished his part of the conversation with Scott.

Coming to the waiting room, you lean against the door and watch as Scott nods, confirming that he knew Cora was back in South America. Derek’s telling Scott that taking Cora back, however, wasn’t the only reason he’d left.

You’re curious as to what else would make him leave and so you pay closer attention. Derek says, “I needed to talk to my mother,” and you stiffen.

He had used the claws to talk to his mother when she had told him about you. What else had he talked to her about?

Scotts asking Derek for clarification, “Your dead mother?”

Derek nods and you point out to Scott, “It’s actually possible to communicate with the dead if they were supernatural. There are ways that are less uncomfortable than others but they’re all there.”

Pulling the conversation back to what was at hand, Derek tells Scott, “She told me something that changed my perspective… on a lot of things.” You’re holding your breath, waiting to see what it is that he’s going to share.

“She said my family didn’t just live in Beacon Hills. They protected it. This town needs someone to protect it,” he points out and levels a look at Scott, “Someone like you.”

You’re somewhat embarrassed that you thought Derek would out you but at his words you can’t help the feeling of pride. Perhaps, if he trained up Scott, then he would come home with you, and possibly your mate.

Scott looks confused and asks why, Derek is about to respond but you cut him off, “It’s what we do. When we claim territories, it’s our job to be the protector of the lives within our territories. Allow people to live their lives but keep them as protected as you can.”

Nodding his head, Scott looks like he’s contemplating something when he says, “And someone like you to teach me a few trade secrets.” There’s a moment of calmness in this. Scotts trust in Derek something that you’re happy to see. Derek, unsurprisingly, shows no outward response but you can tell that he’s enjoying the praise.

The moment of calmness passes very quickly however when Scott’s whole demeanor changes as he stands, “He was trying to protect us.”

“What?”

“Stiles, Stiles was protecting us,” he says emphasizing Stiles’ name the second time around. Before you or Derek can get any further clarification, Scotts taken off running down the hallways. You both follow after him only to end up on the roof of the hospital.

Scotts standing there, looking around and you look at Derek only to see the confusion on his face. A moment later, he’s asking, “Scott, what are we looking for?”

Scott shakes his head and says he’s not sure.

“Okay guys, let’s think about it then. What kind of damage can someone do on the roof of a hospital? If Scott’s right, Stiles wasn’t just up here struggling with himself. He would have been struggling not to do something,” you point out. The feeling from earlier, though this time it feels as if it’s building.

The three of you begin to look around the rooftop. A loud clanging sound catches your attention and you turned to see that Scott’s pulled down a duffle bag. Partially open, the bag is full of different types of tools, one of which is a wire cutter. 

Stepping forward, you kneel down and pick up one of the cutters. “Guys, what…” you trail off as you turn the tool in your hand.

A whispered fuck gets your attention and you turn to see that both Scott and Derek are looking on top of one of the cages. Moving so that you can see, there’s an electrical cord that’s been cut into, the wiring now exposed.

The terror in the pit of your stomach suddenly feels like a tangible weight and before you realize it, you’re sprinting through the halls.

He’s never been so grateful for the curiosity of children. Though it’s not likely that Stiles remembered what his mothers MRI looked like consciously, but thanks to the curiosity of an 8-year-old, it was still in his subconscious.

Using some fox magic, Void layered a picture of Stiles mother’s MRI over Stiles own brain. The sorrow and hopelessness that began to sink in from the other room a welcome feast.

As they continued in the machine, Void could feel his host becoming restless. From what he’d noticed, the boy wasn’t one to be still for very long and this was frustrating him.

Good. Now the games could truly begin.

Stiles was blinking his eyes, trying to ignore the sound of the whirring machine he was in. The blinking turned into him squeezing them tight. Opening them, he found himself standing outside the machine.

He was dressed in regular clothing so he knew it had to be a dream of some kind. Turning, he saw the bandaged figure he’d seen yesterday. The one that had been haunting his dreams

“Have you figured out my riddle yet?” The bandaged creature asked as it walked around the room.

Following, Stiles tried to catch sight of the creature but it moved too fast.

Void watched as the brunette tried to catch sight of him and stepped closer to the boy, “If you answer correctly, we might consider letting them go.”

The two beings looked at each other. A sense of foreboding filling the space between them. One taking the foreboding sense as a gift to be cherished the other fearful of what lay before him.

The brunette, terrified of the answer questions, “Letting who go?”

The creature in the tattered bandages bares pointed, silver fangs at him, “Your friends, your family. Everyone who ever meant something to you,” it taunts. Moving towards the Stiles, Void continues, “We’re going to destroy all of them Stiles. One by one.”

Terror runs down Stiles’ spine. He can tell that the bandaged creature means what he says. Flashes of his friends and family dead fill his vision and all tears fall.

“Why?” he questions, his voice shaking from fear.

Void feels the fear and merely smiles wider, “Everyone has it, but no one can lose it,” he begins before turning to Stiles, “What is it?”

Stiles hears the damned riddle again and Stiles shakes his head, “I don’t know.”

“Everyone has it, but no one can lose it,” Void questions again, this time, the frustration evident in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Stiles responds again with shaking voice.

Void needs him to understand, if he doesn’t understand then there’s no way that he can get in. His voice drops into a guttural, demonic sound as he repeats, once again, “Everyone has it, but no one can lose it.” Pulling at the bandages around him he asks, “What is it?”

Stiles, who has turned away from the creature in front of him puts his head between his hands. He’s trying to push out the ice in his veins. Trying to focus on the words and what they could mean.

“What is it?”

Still, nothing comes and in desperation, Stiles screams that he doesn’t know. When suddenly it hits him.

There was a night, after having figured out Anansi that he had sat down with Natasha for a movie. They’d watched Peter Pan and she had made a comment that she was curious if the thread would be enough to keep both parts of Peter together before she went on to ask how they’d been separated to begin with. That’s what it was! 

“A shadow,” he whispers and turns. The creature was taking off the last of his bandages and Stiles finds that he’s looking at himself. Except, there’s an unending cold depth in his eyes.

“Your friends, your family,” his mirror states, “Everyone who ever meant something to you.”

“No,” Stiles begs with a shake of his head.

“Your friends, your family. Everyone who ever meant something to you. Scott, Allison, Lydia, Natasha…”

Hearing her name, Stiles couldn’t explain the feeling of dread that ran through him. It was as if everything the world had ceased to be and he was being slowly flayed alive. A growl escaped him before he’d realized and he went to attack his mirror when suddenly he saw his friends dead on the ground before him.

Scott’s throat had been slashed open as blood poured out of him. Allison had been stabbed and an arm was missing as she lay covered in dirt. He could barely make out Lydia’s red hair but it was matted and there was bruising on everything he could see. There was a body that was strewn across the room in different pieces, skin charred beyond recognition but somehow he knew it was Natasha.

“Please,” he whispered softly as he closed his eyes to the sight in front of him.

Finally! Void had what he needed. Cackling, he stepped into the forefront and pushed Stiles back. Opening his hosts eyes, he found that he was back in the whirring machine. He may have misjudged the boys feelings for the girl but it was not a mistake he would make again.

Laying there, he watched and reveled in the feeling of the world around him. The cold air of the hospital room and the metal of the machine. The lights flickered and he watched as his previous plans were proven to already be in motion. 

As you ran back through the hospital, the lights flickered in and out. You had to weave in and out of people. Just as you were about to make it to the door to the MRI room, the power went out completely. The lights come back on and you can hear Mr. Stilinski’s frantic voice as he asks where his son is.

Pulling the door open you pass the adults and both you and Mr. Stilisnki are the room that holds the MRi machine. Checking around and behind the machine, both of you confirming that Stiles isn’t there.

“Help me find my son,” Noah asks and you nod your head.

Making your way through the hallways you move down the stairs. Completely missing the sight at the end of a hallway in your rush.

Void watches as the elevator doors open and she appears. It has been a long time since he’s seen her and it’s not a very pleasant sight now. She will have to pay for what she’s done.

“You know me,” she states and Void is tempted to scoff at the understatement. Instead, he merely nods his head and she continues, “Then you know I won’t be deterred by your choice of hose. Even if it’s an innocent boy.”

He’s counting on it. Instead of letting anything go though, he calmly asks her, “Are you threatening us?”

Smoke pops up around the Kitsune and her Oni appear. “Now I’m threatening you,” she smugly points out..

Void’s not sure of their strength at this distance but remembers the one from the other day and responds to her, “We’re not really afraid of your little fireflies.”

Having said what he needs, he turns around and begins to walk away, joining the crowd. The kitsune calls out that if she cannot defeat him she knows someone who will and Void merely keeps walking, taking in the fear of those in the hospital and the despair of those who know they are to die.


	31. Chapter 31

“Are you sure that this’ll work?

“You didn’t have to come with me you know,” the man responds in that calm manner that so grates the nerves. 

Peter can’t help the curl of his lips,”Well, you see, Little Wolf wants to see Stiles safe which means I want to see the hyperactive boy safe. If that means having to deal with Ikeda, then that’s what we’ll do. I just want to be sure that this is what we need.”

There’s a silence that falls between the two men and Peter moves his gaze to see the veterinarian looking at him, a thoughtful look on his features. 

“What?” he growls out. 

Silent for another moment, the veterinarian offers a nod of his head, “Perhaps Talia was wrong You seem to have taken on the role of guardian quite nicely.”

Before Peter can ask what the former emissary is talking about, the doors have been opened. The two of them are escorted to the penthouse where Deaton apologizes for their tardiness. Peter nods his head in agreement but remains silent. 

Ikeda, for his part, is not interested in apologies and informs them that he would prefer to see his wolf healed and back to normal. Deaton nods his head and then moves towards the animal. 

He checks over the animal, lifting the head and checking its paws when Ikeda asks him, “Have you worked with wolves before?”

Holding in his scoff, Peter rolls his eyes before Deaton answers the man before him, “Here and there.” He returns to the wolf in front of him, “And what is our patient’s name?”

“Yuki,” Ikeda provides. 

“Hello Yuki,” Deaton begins, “Now what have you got yourself into, my friend?” 

Checking the wolf over, Deaton checks the jaws and, before long, is asking about the unusual plant. At first, Ikeda looks worried so Deaton presses, describing the plant they are looking for in further detail. As he continues to describe it, a look of horror passes over Ikeda’s face that Peter finds almost comical. 

“If he has the poison, just treat him,” the Kumicho demands. 

“I’m sorry,” Deaton actually sounds apologetic as he says, “I can’t without knowing the species. I need a sample.”

Ikeda looks like he wants to argue with, or at least deny Deatons request so Peter speaks up, “If we treat Yuki for one strain and it turns out to be another, it could kill him.”

A moment later, Ikeda nods his head in understanding. “It’s in the garden,” he informs before looking at his men, “Shigeki, take him.”

When no one moves, Ikeda looks at the other men in the room before berating them in Japanese. “Superstitious idiots,” he mutters before walking out of the penthouse showing Deaton and Peter to the garden.

The closer they get to the garden, the itchier Peters skin becomes. His skin begins to crawl and his instincts are on high alert. He wants to leave the area but reminds his wolf that this is all for Little Wolf and that they need to suck it up. 

Once the garden doors are open, Deaton makes it to the fountain and Peter walks to the other side of it. Once he hands a jar to Ikeda, Deaton gathers some of the plant they need, Ikeda asks if they really believe that Yuki had gotten into the garden. 

Peter looks around the garden, it hasn’t been touched in years from the looks of it, before turning back to Ikeda, “Not really.”

“I’m willing to bet Yuiki stays far away from this place,” Deaton continues, I doubt if you could even drag him in. Some part of him senses what happened here.” Deaton pauses briefly as he observes the plant in his hand before saying, “To your father and the Nogitsune possessing him.” 

“Instincts tend to be annoying,” Peter smirks as the clink of Ikeda loads his gun is made. 

Ikeda places the gun against the back of Deatons head and looks at Peter who raises his hands in the air. A gesture of good faith and surrender. 

“This particular lichen is called, Letharia Vulpina,” Deaton drags the attention back to himself and Peter can’t help but wonder if the man has a death wish.

“Wolf Lichen. It was used to poison wolves and foxes. It would be mixed with meat and crushed glass, left out for the animals. The glass would perforate their intestines so the vulpinic acid could reach the internal organs faster. 

“What did you do to my wolf?” Ikeda demands as he moves his finger to the triggger.

“Don’t worry,” Peter assures the man, “Yuki hasn’t been poisoned.”

“I gave him a powerful paralytic agent. The same one I put on that jar.” Deaton points out. Ikeda immediately tries to move and for a moment, Peter is sure that the good doctor is going to die but the agent takes effect and gun drops and Ikeda curses before falling. 

Moving over to Ikeda, Peter is able to remove the jar from his grip and hand it to Deaton who places the lichen in the jar. “Born out of the blood of a nogitsune, this lichen is quite special. More powerful than you know,” he tells the Kumicho.

“What are you going to use it for?”

Peter doesn’t give Deaton a chance to respond. Lips curled, he flashes his blue eyes, “There’s a fox hiding in my cousins mate. We’re going to kill it.”

You hadn’t found Stiles inside the hospital building so you made your way outside with a group of others. Making it outside, you were greeted by the sight of chaos. 

An electric wire is flailing around, you’re pretty sure that it’s the very one from the roof. Cars are swerving to avoid it, a few have crashed into each other and you watch as an ambulance hits a fire hydrant. People are running in different directions, away from the wire. 

You hear Kira yelling for everyone to get back and, as your gaze sweeps the sight in front of you-you see Isaac pushing Allison. She falls but a moment later so is Isaac and you scream his name at the same time that Allison does. You rush towards him but instinct stops you at the water’s edge. 

You call Isaacs name again when a thumping sound catches your attention. You see Kira flipping over in the air and your heart stops for a moment as the thought that she had been hit by the wire runs through your head.

“Kira!” you call out but she lands and stands on her feet. She’s looking at the wire and reaches out, grabbing a hold of it and places her hand over the exposed wiring. She doesn’t fall and you’re shocked to see that she seems to be absorbing the electricity. 

Standing there, you’re oblivious to the people around you but are pulled from your thoughts when you hear Derek’s voice calling for Isaac. Looking back to where your friend was, you rush over to help Derek who has begun to check his vitals. 

He looks up and you can see the panic on his face, “He’s not breathing,” he tells you before yelling out, “Scott he’s not breathing!”

The panic in his voice matches the panic on his face as Scott rushes inside, calling for a paramedic. Both you and Derek lift Isaac, trying to get him inside. Thankfully, someone meets you outside with a stretcher and you’re able to get Isaac situation on it. You’re following the stretcher as it’s being pushed through the halls, Allison right there with you. When you come to a set of double doors, neither of you is allowed any further. Even amongst the noise of the hospital, the closing of the doors sounds ominous, like the closing of a cell door in the middle of the night. 

You stare at the double doors for a moment as if they can give you an answer for what’s going on behind them. A hand on your shoulder steals your attention and you turn to see Allison looking at you, tears in her eyes. Pulling her in, the two of you find yourselves in each other’s arms. 

“It’s going to be okay.”

“He’s gonna be fine,” the two of you reassure each other. 

Allison holds onto you and you hold onto her, afraid that if either of you lets go that you’re going to fall apart. You begin to look around for Derek or Scott when you hear something interesting. 

“I saw what you did,” a voice is saying, “Now is not the time for anybody else to see.”

You make eye contact with Kira’s mom and she stumbles for a moment before pushing Kira out of the hospital. At that moment, you realize that, whatever she is, Kira isn’t actually sure. Her mother hasn’t told her a thing. 

“Tasha?” Allison calls, pulling your attention back to her. She’s pulled back and looking at you, “What’s wrong?”

Your gaze returns to where you had last seen Kira and her mom before you respond, “I’m not sure. But it doesn’t matter right now. This is more important.”

“It’s not Isaac then?”

“No, Kira.”

She looks shocked to hear the name but slowly nods her head before she pulls you into a waiting room. Looking around the room, you realize that this one looks exactly like the one you’d been waiting in with Scott and Derek while they did Stiles’ MRI just a few hours ago and the same as the one when they’d brought him in the night before. 

You’re not sure if it’s a psychological thing or if it’s anxiety but the room feels suffocating. You have to step back into the hallway to take a couple deep breaths. As your heart rate slows down, you decide that if you never have to set foot in another hospital again, it’ll be too soon. 

Moving back into the room, you sit next to Allison and take her hand. The two of you draw whatever comfort you can from each others presence. Though your chest is heave and the tears sit at the corners of your eyes, you refuse to allow any to fall. If you begin to cry now, you’re sure that you won’t have the energy to stop crying. 

There’s a silent understanding between the two of you to remain silent and just be there for each other. You’re not sure how long you’re sitting there but eventually, Derek and Scott are walking in. 

Once they enter, you notice that they’re alone.

“Wait, where’s Stiles?” You question them. 

Scott looks at you before shaking his head, “Parrish said two people saw Roscoe leave the hospital… they’re trying to find him.” 

“As a missing kid or in relation to whatever just happened out there?” 

Scott’s silent, unsure of the answer and so, you turn a worried, questioning gaze to Derek.

Sighing, Derek comes to you and puts a hand on your shoulder. Sighing, he adjusts so that he’s looking you in the eye before saying, “We don’t know. The problem is there’s nothing concrete.”

You’re Wolf growls out and you have to fight to keep her in check, _we’re leaving._

 _‘We can’t’_ , you try to reason, _‘we don’t even know where he is!’_

 _We found him before, we can do it again._

_‘And what about Isaac?’_ Your mind asks and you can feel your Wolf go silent. 

Something occurs to you and you turn to Scott, “Does his dad know?”

“About him missing?” Scott tries to clarify with a furrowed brow, “Yeah, why wouldn’t he?”

“No,” you shake your head and try to clarify, “About the Kukan?” At Scott’s confused stare, you say, “The Nogitsune.”

Scott shakes his head slowly like he’s not sure of the answer and both you and Allison let out a groan. 

“You have to tell Stilisnki,” Derek tells Scott, “You have to tell him what’s really wrong with Stiles.”

Scott doesn’t look convinced so you try, “Scott, He deserves to know the entire story. If he doesn’t how can he find him?”

Sighing, Scott nods his head, “You’re right, I’ll- I’ll talk to him.” 

The Sheriff comes in and asks if he can talk to Scott. Nodding his head, Scott follows the Sherrif out as Melissa walks into the room. You watch as she squeezes her sons arm and then walks further into the room. 

As soon as Allison sees her, she’s moved over to the woman, “Will he be okay?”

She takes the girls hands in her own and says, “They’re prepping him for surgery. I’m actually about to go get prepped and head in to help out.”

“Wait, they can’t take him into surgery, his healing abilities won’t let that be a thing,” Allison points out. 

You think about earlier. Derek had said he wasn’t breathing and the medics had had to put Isaac on oxygen. The burns on his neck and it occurs to you, “He’s not healing… Is he?”

Melissa shakes her head softly, “No, he’s not.” 

“Wait, what does that mean?”

“I-I don’t know. It’s rare for a were not to heal,” you say with a shake of your head. Melissa nods and cups your face. 

Her face is apologetic when you meet her eyes but you both nod your head before she makes her way out of the waiting room. 

Scott comes in and Derek calls your name. Allison crosses to Scott and Derek, taking your elbow pulls you aside, “Do you wanna stay or go search for him?”

“Derek-” you begin but are cut off by him taking your hands in his. 

“If you go, I promise to call with any changes or if anything at all happens. If you stay, I’ll go search for Stiles myself.”

We’re leaving, your instincts remind you and you’re about to go but a muffled so\b catches your attention. 

Turning, you see Allison trying to hold herself together. Scotts trying to be there for her but he looks like he’s about to fall apart himself. You know if you asked him to, Derek would wait here and be a support for Scott. He’d try to be a support for Allison. But- Allison probably wouldn’t handle it very well and you’re willing to be that she’d be more closed off then receptive to any help. 

_‘We need to stay’_

_We need to find Stiles_

_‘Ally and Isaac need us here.’_

_Stiles needs us out there_ , your Wolf growls ou. 

Frustrated, you growled back, _‘Don’t we trust Derek?’_

Your wolf is silent for a moment and you know the answer but your instincts seem to want to find a loophole. It takes a moment and you can feel your Wolf huff _Unconditionally_. 

The mental image you have a pouting pup makes your heart feel a little bit lighter. 

“Go find Stiles,” you tell Derek. 

He looks surprised for a moment but you motion your head towards Allison and you watch it click in his head. He nods his head and pulls you in for a hug. Kissing your head, he whispers, “We’ll find him. I promise.” 

He leaves and you go to sit with Allison and Scott. It doesn’t take long for the silence to between the three of you to become somewhat reassuring. The three of you stay there, waiting for news about your friend. 

You’re not sure how long you’re there but neither doctor nor nurse comes out with any information. Hours later, you can feel the toll of the last few days on your body Exhaustion fills the room as you all struggle to stay awake. 

You feel Allys head against your shoulder before she suddenly jerks back up. Standing, she begins to pace back and forth in the room. 

“Ally,” you call and she stops, turning to you. “Get some sleep. We’ll wake you if anything happens,” you tell her and motion for her to sit next to you.

Silent for a moment, she looks at the door and then at you before nodding her head. “If anything happens,” she confirms. 

Once you nod your head, she sits down and gets comfortable. Before long, she’s nodded off and you and Scott remain silent for a few minutes.

“You okay?” Scott’s voice is kind of groggy but it’s laced with concern. 

You look at the double doors they’d wheeled Isaac through earlier before responding, “You know, this is my fault.” Turning to look at Scott you continue, “I asked them to come by, you know? If I had asked them to come by neither of them would have been here. Isaac would be safe.”

Scott shakes his head and takes your hand “No,” he shakes his head, “This wasn’t on you. It’s on whatever is controlling him.”

“And I should have kept that from happening too,” you murmur, “A damned Nogitsune…”

“We’ll figure it out,” Scott assures you, “We’ll get him back and Issacs gonna be just fine, I promise. Now, get some rest. Like you told Allison if anything happens, I’ll wake you up and let you know.”

You refused at first, “I’d rather wait up for myself.”

Scott raised an eyebrow like he was asking you if you were sure and you merely nodded your head. He nodded his head and the two of you sat there. You must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing you knew, you’re being woken up by someone pushing on your shoulder. 

Opening your eyes, you see Scott’s woken you up and Melissa is now in the room. 

“Hey,” she says softly as Scott moves to wake up Allison. When Allison wakes up, Melissa asks if you’ve been here the whole time. 

“Yeah, why? How longs it been?

“48 hours.” 

You stop your stretching and ask, “Is Isaac out of surgery?”

Melissa nods her head and before she can say anything else, Allison asks, “How’s he doing?”

“He’s stable. Which is normally a good thing.”

“But he’s not healing is he?”

“It’s very slow,” Melissa sighs. “From what I’ve seen he should have already healed completely but he’s just… not.”

Sighing, you rub your eyes with the heel of your hand, “What about Stiles? Have they found him yet?”

Melissa shakes her head, “They’re still looking for him but my guess is if anyone’s gonna be missing for two days and turn up just fine. It’s Stiles.” 

“But he’s not fine,” you whispered. Turnin, you looked at Scott, “Didn’t you tell her?” 

“Tell me what?”

“Seriously Scott?” you growl, “Did you at least tell his dad?”

“Woah, Woah, woah, guys! I’ve been in surgery for the last couple hours. What’s going on?” Melissa calls, coming between you. 

“His dad knows,” Scott placates you before he turns to his mom and tells her about Stiles and the Nogitsune. Melissa looks a bit shocked as color drains from her face, she takes a deep breath but nods her head.

The waiting room fell to silence again but Allison asked if we could all go see Isaac. Melissa looks around, making sure that no one’s paying attention before she nods her head and leads you out of the waiting room. 

Going down a couple of hallways, it’s not very long before the group of you are standing outside a room. She opens the door and ushers the three of you inside telling you to be quick.

Isaacs in a hospital bed in the middle of the room. The lights are dimmed and as you step in, you realize that the room is colder than the rest of the hospital. Probably a way to try and keep him comfortable. 

As you approach the bed, you can feel the pain rolling off Isaac. Without saying anything, you place your hand on his arm and watch as the black begins to crawl up your veins. 

“Tasha?” Allison questions. 

Shaking your head you don’t answer but focus on the task at hand. Isaac takes a shuddering breath as the pain in your arm begins to spike into a stabbing sensation. 

Scott realizes what you’re doing and tells Allison that Isaacs in pain. A moment later, the stabbing in your arm subsides and you see that he’s taking on some of the pain as well. The dark obsidian in your veins becomes a more mercurial color and both you and Scott take in as much pain as you can. 

Scott’s sharp gasp mirrors yours as he let’s go of Isaacs’ arms. Refusing to let Isaac suffer for your mistakes, you hold onto his arm a little bit longer. Pushing air slowly through your clenched teeth before letting go. 

A gasp escapes you and you try to catch your breath. Holding onto the hospital bed you take a moment to focus on just breathing while adjusting to the pain. Looking you-you see Ally looking at Isaac like she’s trying to piece together what she just saw. 

“It won’t heal him but it helps with the pain?”

“Did Stiles really do this?” she demands. There’s a hint of concern in her voice but it’s overshadowed by anger. 

“Aly,” you call softly, “This is on me. You guys wouldn’t have been anywhere near here if it wasn’t for me.”

“Natasha,” Scott says warningly, “we talked about this. This wasn’t on you. This was whatever’s controlling him. Whatever’s inside him.”

“Well then how do we get whatever inside him the hell out of him?” the hunter demands. 

“Working on it,” both you and Scott say at the same time. 


	32. Chapter 32

Sighing, you put your phone back in your pocket. 

“What’s wrong?” Allison asks as she comes up to you and puts an arm around you. 

Leaning your head on her shoulder you close your eyes for a moment before responding, “Derek hasn’t found Stiles or even any leads and Peters not answering. Something just doesn’t feel right.”

“Is it like the other night?” your friend asks and when you don’t answer, she clarifies, “With Stiles being missing. You had said you didn’t feel right all day long.”

Remembering that you had, in fact, had that conversation with her, you smile at the fact that she remembered. With everything going on, you had forgotten about it yourself. 

“Nah, it’s not that same. There was a sense of something coming then. This feels like - like… something’s terribly wrong.”

“Well Stiles is being controlled by a Nogitsune,” she reminds you softly and you pull back, adjusting your body so that you can look at her. 

“That’s just it though Alli, there’s this feeling like,” you pause and shake your head trying to come up with the words, “It’s like - there’s a push and a pull. Like heaven and hell themselves are pulling at me and I don’t know what it means…”

“Well, you’re definitely struggling with something,” she pointed out and tugs you to sit with her, “Your eyes have been flashing to purple and back quite a bit today. Do you wanna go look for him?”

You want to, Odin knows that you want to but- “Isaac needs me here.”

Ally puts her arm around your shoulds and pulls you into a hug, “Stiles needs you out there. I don’t know what it is but he means something to you.”

“Isaac does too,” you try to explain. It’s not that you don’t want to be there for Stiles it’s that if you go, there’s no one that can take the pain from Isaac again. Scotts gone ahead to school but you had stayed behind. 

“True, but if something else happens to Stiles, I suspect you’ll handle it much worse than what you’re handling with Isaac,” her voice is soft and reassuring, telling you that it’s okay. 

You go to argue with her but she puts up her hand, “It’s okay Tasha. You can go, any changes I’ll make sure you’re my first call.”

Sighing, you nod your head, “Alright but first, I need to get back in there for just a moment.” 

You watch as her face transforms from confusion before understanding. “You can’t,” she rushes out. 

“I can and I will. I’ll take on whatever I can so he can rest easier. It should also help with the healing process.”

Before she can argue further with you, you get up and move to find Melissa. It doesn’t take you very long to find her. Thankfully, you’ve caught her just before the end of her shift and she agrees to let you in to see Isaac. 

Taking a deep breath, you steel yourself for a moment before heading into the room. It doesn’t take you very long to take more of Isaacs pain and once you do, you have to force yourself to stay upright. It takes your body a little bit longer to adjust to the pain as you were still feeling the aches from the Pull and the pain from earlier. Taking a few deep breaths in and out, you allow it to dissipate slightly before making your way back into the waiting room with Allison and Mrs. McCall. 

Before you walk in you school your features and 

“So where are you gonna start?” Ally questions. 

Smiling at her, you run your tongue across your canines, “The nogitsune is a fox. I think it’s time to go visit another fox.”

“Kira?” 

Nodding your head you ask Melissa if she can give you a ride to the power station where you had left your bike yesterday. Once you get your bike yo make your way to the school.

Thankfully, you arrive during a passing period and are able to find Kira in the halls. She’s walking with Scott down a set of stairs. Calling out to them, you get both their attention and they make their way over towards you. 

Scott nods his head at you and you focus in on the words. Kira’s the one talking, “…Kitsune are tricksters. They’re mischievous. They don’t really get caught up in right or wrong or even understand it.”

“What’s that mean?” Scott questions, “It’s just doing this for the hell of it?”

“No,” Kira shakes her head, “That’s just it. Something else I found. If you somehow offend a kitsune it can react pretty badly.”

By this time they’ve reached you and you ask, “So how do you offend a Nogitsune?”

Kira shakes her head, “I don’t know. But if it’s doing something this bad, someone really, really offended it.”

The bell rings and students make their way to classes.

 ** _There is someone that would know about Kitsune_** , your Wolf speaks up. 

It takes a moment but you realize exactly who she’s talking about. Telling Scott and Kira that you’ll catch up to them later, you turn down a hallway and make your way back around the school towards the classroom you’re looking for. By some stroke of luck, it seems that this is Mr. Yukimura’s free period. 

Taking a breath you reach within, Think you can remain calm enough to be with me in this?

_**We won’t kill him.** _

Chuckling you agree to the hand. Allowing your Wolf to step closer to the forefront you open the door and walk into the empty classroom. 

“Natasha,” he says, surprise in his voice. “What can I do for you?”

“How does one offend a Nogitsune?” you ask without preamble. 

He’s silent for a moment and you hear his heartbeat slow to an almost stop before he says, “I’m sorry, Ms. Ragnulf, but-”

“See I would believe you but the thing is I saw what Kira did. She picked up that electrical wire and stopped it with her bare hands,” you continue as you stalk towards his desk. “Now I may be wrong but from what I remember there’s not many creatures that can do that. In fact, I don’t think there’s any outside of a Kasai and Sanda Kitsune’s.” 

“Yes, I believe those are popular Japanese myths,” he says with a placating smile. 

“Look Mr. Yukimura, you seem like a nice guy, the problem is that your wife is hiding something,” you point out to him, getting frustrated with the conversation at hand. “I heard her tell Kira, that now’s not the time for anyone to see.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says calmly and you would almost believe him if you hadn’t heard his heart slow for just a moment. 

You flash your eyes at him and, unsurprisingly, he has no reaction. 

“You know,” you begin, “a heartbeat changes rhythm when you’re lying. But it can also change right before a lie. When you know you have to control the heartbeat. If Stiles gets hurt anymore because of your lies I promise you, there isn’t a hole dark enough you can hide your fox in.” 

“Are you threatening me?” he asks as he pushes himself up to stand. 

You smile, “So you do know something…”

“I think it’s time you leave. We never had this conversation.”

Flashing your canines, you chuckle and nod your head, before walking towards the door. Opening it, you step outside before saying, “Sure we did. You promised to help me save my friends.”

The closing of the door behind you is cut off by a high pitched sound. It takes you a moment but you realize that it’s an ultra-sonic emitter hunters use. Following the sound down, you reach the basement before you see the twins running. 

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Scotts run after them and you see that one of the twins has Stiles pushed against a locker. You let out a roar and launch yourself after him, he turns to growl at you but you snarl back and watch as Aiden recoils in fear, letting go of Stiles. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you see someone turn to Stiles. Placing yourself in front of him and turning, you come face to face with Scott. You give him a warning growl and he looks surprised for a moment. He takes a step back and moves to get something and you growl again. 

He snarls at you, and you can feel him pushing his Alpha behind the snarl. Before he’s had a chance to blink, you’ve reached your hand out towards his neck, and are returning the snarl. Your Wolf, who has been hanging on by a thread, is pissed and you can feel her asking for blood. 

Scott’s not responding to your grip and so you begin to apply more pressure. 

“Natasha…” you hear Stiles, “Let him go.” 

You shake your head, “He’s trying to hurt you.”

“No… He was trying to get Ethan and Aiden off me. It’s okay.”

You don’t let go at first but Stiles continues to repeat that it’s okay and eventually you let go of Scott. He takes a gasping breath of air before he rubs his neck and looks at you, asking if you’re okay you nod your head, “Bitches tend to be a bit more protective is all.”

Scott slowly looks towards the twins for confirmation and they give a minute nod before the room falls into silence. 

You take slow deliberate breaths, trying to control your breathing as Scott and tells Stiles that it’s really him. 

“I don’t know where I’ve been the last two days or what I’ve been doing but this is me. I promise,” he reassures. 

“You know what happened at the hospital?” Aiden asks, accusation lacing his words and before you can rip out his throat Stiles is responding. 

He’s crossed to a duffle bag and pulled something out.

“You see this?” he asks as he holds up the paper. When no one says anything, he begins to unfold the paper and continues, “It’s a blueprint of the hospitals electrical wiring.”

Once the paper is unfolded, he presses it down, “You see all these markings in red? That’s my handwriting.”

You, Scott and the twins move closer to Stiles to take a better look at the blueprints. 

“I know I did this. I caused the accident,” he sounds calm about it and you and Scott share a look with each other. 

_**Somethings not right.** _

“Everything in this bag,” Stiles grabs Scott’s attention, as he puts away the blueprint. “It’s all stuff that could be part of something bigger.”

You look in the bag and start to dig through it. There are chains and wires and electrical tools that you don’t recognize. 

Aiden lifts something that looks like an electrical saw to you that’s been broken in half. 

“What the hell have you been up to?” He asks Siles. 

You look at the electric saw and then at Stiles, who is silent. Calling his name, he looks at you then Aiden, “I think something worse. A lot worse.” 

Moving together, the group of you start to unpack the bag. 

Finding rope, wire, arrows, chain lengths and electrical bits that you don’t really know or understand.

You notice that Stiles isn’t with your group for a moment and start to panic before turning and seeing him pacing not too far. 

Walking over to him, you place a hand on his arm, “Stiles?”

He turns to look at you and you but won’t meet your eyes. You reach out to cup his face, in an attempt to turn his gaze towards you but he quickly shuffles out of your arms reach, almost falling in the process. 

**_This isn’t right,_** your instincts snarl. 

“Stiles?” you call again, but before you can ask anything else, Aiden’s voice breaks in. 

“What the hell where you doing? Building a Terminator?” You turn to see that he has chainlink, rope and a few other odds and ends on the table in front of him. 

“Thank you for that,” comes Stiles’ sarcastic answer and you have to try not to chuckle. 

“Guys, this is a map,” Scott says as he pulls out another piece of folded paper. 

You see that it is, in fact, an old school paper map. The kind you get from travel agencies. Stepping to the table, you take a closer look at the map and you see there’s a red line.

“Hey guys,” you point out and trace the red line. 

“Isn’t that the cross country trail?” Aiden asks.

“The what?” 

“No,” Scott clarifies, “That’s the Tate car. Where Maila Tate’s family died.”

“You mean that’s where her father put the steel-jawed traps,” he points out. He’s careful to keep his hosts features more worried than excited. 

The girl can tell something is wrong. Well, the wolf in her can at least and it’s not time for them to be aware of just what it is he has planned. His host is still bound but it won’t take long for him to fight free and when he does, he’s going to make sure it isn’t without cost. 

Though the fact that the Wolf would protect his host’s body from threats, real or perceived, was going to make the game much more interesting. 

“Guys, we need to get everyone off that trail.”

He watches as the group of teenagers nod their heads and immediately move out of the basement room they’re in. 

You’re making your way towards the parking lot when you hear your name being called. Turning, you see Lydia rushing towards you. 

“Natasha,” Ethan catches your attention, “we really need to go.”

Lydia ‘s eyes land on the brunette next to you and you watch as she launches herself at him “Stiles! Oh, thank God you’re safe!”

Letting go of him, she pulls back and cups his head as she looks him over, “Where have you been? What have you been doing? Are you okay? Do you know what’s going on?” she fires off without letting him answer. 

You watch as he takes his hands in hers and brings them to his chest before kissing her knuckles. You can feel your Wolfs hackles rise, _Relax. She’s just happy to see him. I think we all are. She’s not trying to hurt him._

 ** _You’ve seen how much her rejection hurts him. She should stay away._**

_Drop it_ , you warn, _this is his friend and they’ve been through a lot._

Your Wolf forces a growl past your lips and suddenly everyone around you stops and looks at you. Confusion and questions look back at you and you can feel yourself warm at what you had just done.

“Sorry,” you mumble, “We just need to get to the cross country trail.”

“Right,” Stiles agrees with a nod of his head. He apologizes to Lydia, “We need to get going. I promise we’ll talk later.” 

He, Scott, and the twins continue towards the parking lot and you’re about to follow when Lydia calls your name again like she just remembered you were there, to begin with. 

“Go, I’ll catch up,” you tell the boys when they turn back towards you. Locking eyes with Scott he seems to hesitate for half a second before he nods his head and they’re gone. 

“What’s up Lyds?” you ask the Banshee.

Banshee.

Shit.

You can feel your eyes widen and you take hold of both her arms, “You’re not hearing anything are you?” you demand of her. 

“What? No,” she shook her head, “I was gonna ask you why Peter’s talking to my mom.” 

“I’m sorry what?” 

“Peter. Talking to my mom.” Lydia repeats the main points and you shake your head, Peter hadn’t told you he was back in town. 

“Lydia, I didn’t even know he was back.”

“Where was he?”

“Looking for an exorcist. Or John. Someone who could help with this Nogitsune thing,” you pull out your phone to check and there are no messages from Peter. 

“Look Lyds, I’m sure it was nothing. But if you’re worried about it, I’m sure he’s at the loft. But I need to go help Stiles with this thing and steel-jaw traps.”

She opens her mouth and you’re sure that she’s going to argue with you but then she closes it and looks at you. Giving her your best pleading look, begging her to understand, she nods her head. 

“Alright. Go help them save the day.”

Thanking her you give her a quick hug, which she returns before you make your way out of the school to your bike.


	33. Chapter 33

By the time you pull up to the preserve, there’s no one near the road or the bus. It takes you a moment but, following the scent trails, you find Stiles, Scott, and the twins. They’ve managed to stop the cross country team a little ways into the trail. 

Joining the group, you make your way towards the front and see that Stiles is pulling on a chain link. He keeps pulling until he comes to the end of the chain and there’s nothing attached to it.

“Congratulations Stilinski,” Coach mocks with a slow clap as he walks around Stiles, “you found a length of chain.”

Looking around the circle, you catch Scott’s eye. He looks as confused as you feel and you turn your attention to Stiles. He seems to be trying to figure out what’s going on. 

“Now, can somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Coach Finstock demands as he walks forward.

You hear a clicking sound immediately followed by a whooshing sound at the same time that Scott’s screaming for Coach. Your eyes flick over to coach at the same time that everyone is backing away. Coach jolts backward before falling to his knees and then his back. As he falls, you see an arrow protruding from his abdomen, right about where his intestines should be. 

The team moves forward, making a circle around Coach Finstock who has fainted. It only takes him a moment to come back to consciousness. Looking down at his chest, he starts panicking. 

“Get it out of me!

Get it out of me!

Get it out of me!” 

Stiles and Scott are applying pressure around the shaft of the arrow and the rest of the teams moved back a bit. 

“Oh my God! I’m going to die!” Coach yells as Stiles tries to grab his attention.

Working with Aiden, you try to pin down the middle-aged man. Something you would think would be easier with your strength but Coach is adrenaline filled and hard to pin down. He keeps thrashing screaming about how he’s going to die. 

“Coach, you’re not gonna die!” Stiles yells out and you’re sure that it’s meant to be reassuring but you don’t think it is. 

“I’m gonna die!!” Coach screams out, proving you right. 

“Coach,” you try to grab his attention, “It’ll hurt less if you stop moving!” 

Unsurprisingly, Coach doesn’t hear you and if he does he doesn’t acknowledge it. Instead, he manages to start to move upwards into a sitting position while screaming, “Get that thing out of me!”

“Stay still Coach! An ambulance is coming.” Aiden tries to reassure him as he pushes him back down. 

Coaches body has begun to spasm, reaching out you grab his hand and look at Aiden, “Give us some space.”

Aiden looks at you, confusion on his features, but notices your hand before he nods. Moving up on his knees, he yells at the team, “Get back!” 

When only a few of them move, he tries again, “Get back! Give him some room!” 

As soon as most of the team is moving, you take a breath and focus. You gasp as the black begins to crawl up your veins. 

“Natasha?” Scott questions but you shake your head. 

“It’s not as bad as Isaacs.”

You continue to hold onto Coaches’ hand, taking what you can when Aiden’s voice breaks through, “I think he just passed out.”

Letting go, you’re aware that Scott and Stiles are having a conversation but you can’t focus in on it as you try to catch your breath. 

_**Focus**_ , she growls at you and you try to but can’t seem to get past the stinging. You feel like you can’t breathe as there’s a weight on your chest that feels constricting.

Shaking your head, you squeeze your eyes and your lungs are on fire when you feel a set of hands. Opening your eyes, you see Aidens taken your hands in his and is taking some of the pain. At least, he tries to, his veins start to turn black and you feel like you can breathe again. 

Just as you feel like you can control your breathing, you watch as the black that Aiden had absorbed rush down back into you and you have to bite your tongue not to make a sound. The pain begins to feel like a fiery inferno before it dissipates again and you find yourself panting.

“Hey, hey, hey,” you hear Stiles’ voice as hands come to cup your face, “breathe with me.” 

He breathes in slowly and then out, you try to follow his steps and it takes an effort on your end but you’re able to slowly get your breathing under control. 

“You okay?”

You nod your head quickly and open your mouth to tell him you’re fine when you’re distracted by the sound of sirens. 

“Ambulance is coming.”

You look at Stiles who looks terrified before he nods his head, “And my dad.”

Stiles stands up and turns towards the sound of sirens. You stand up behind him and find that you’re observing Stiles. 

**_It’s him_** she smugly points out, preening at what she’s suspected for a while now. 

_He’s not a wolf,_ you point out, not willing to believe it. Not willing to do that to him, to destroy his life in that way. 

**_And?_ **

_He’s human_ , you tell her. 

**_We both know he’s more than a normal human_** , she snaps at you. 

Before you can argue further, the paramedics are there working on Coach. Not far behind them are the Sheriff and some deputies. 

Immediately, the area around you becomes immediately more chaotic. Deputies are rushing around and you see the moment the Sheriff catches sight of Stiles. He runs forward and envelopes his son in a tight hug. You can see his shoulders sag in relief before he pulls back and begins to check over his son. 

“Miss?” a voice calls and you turn to see a deputy looking at you. When he sees that he has your attention, he smiles at you, “Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“Umm, yea that’s fine,” you say as you lick your lips realizing that you’re a bit shaken. 

“Do you know what happened here?” he begins as he brings out a notebook. 

“I- I’m not sure,” you respond with a shake of your head, “I just - Coach was.. He was- Ummm, he was asking something and then he was just falling.”

“And the arrow?”

“It was just in his chest.”

You can see the deputy biting back a smile, “But do you know how it got there?”

“There was just a whooshing sound and then he was falling.”

“Do you have any idea who set this up?”

 ** _He wants you to pin it on someone_** , she growls and you have to focus directly on the deputy so that your eyes don’t flick over to Stiles and you shake your head. 

“I have no idea.”

He raises an eyebrow and you wonder if maybe you said that too fast or said something wrong when he asks, “And what were you doing out here?”

You think about that or a second. It’s not like you can tell him what’s going on. As far as you can tell he’s fully human which means he likely has no idea about the supernatural world which means he’s not likely to believe you. Even if he did believe you, you’d have to throw suspicion on Stiles. 

Making up your mind you shake your head, “Just at the wrong place at the right time or right place at the wrong time. Whichever way you wanna look at it.  
  


“Not the right place at the right time or wrong place at the wrong time?” 

Scoffing, you point out, “If it had been the right time right place, there would be no arrows period. And if it had been wrong time, wrong place, there would be an arrow in me, wouldn’t there?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right about that,” he scribbles down something on his notepad before looking back at you, “Alright. Well, thank you for your time.” He dips his head at you before moving on. 

Seeing Aiden finishing with another deputy, you make your way towards him. He sees you and meets you about halfway. 

“Well, this is a shit show,” you sigh as he nears you. 

“What was that back there?” he demands without any preamble. 

Stiffening, for a moment, you quickly recover and attempted to play dumb. “That was Coach. Getting an arrow in his intestines.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he points out, “Why couldn’t I take on your pain?”

“No idea.”

Before he can argue further with you, there’s a commotion. The two of you turn and see Scott, Ethan, and Stiles rushing in your direction. 

“What’s going on?” 

“We found nails and bolts with wrapping paper in Roscoe.”

“You mean like what Barrow did?” you ask at the same time that Aiden asks, “Wait, what?”

Stiles shakes his head, “I think there’s a bomb at the school”

“Shit.”

“We gotta go, my dad’s already on his way.”

“Well let’s get going then!” you rush them and the group of you make your way towards Roscoe. 

Getting off the elevator, both girls made their way directly to the loft. Just as Lydia was about to slide open the loft doors, Allison stopped her. 

“While it’s smart to bring me with you, I still think the rest of this plan is totally insane,” the brunette points out. 

Scoffing, Lydia points out, “I tried to find Stiles and led everyone into a mental institution. I’d call that a colossal failure.”

Allison doesn’t say anything but narrows her eyes. Lydia has to fight the urge to stomp her foot, “Look, I just need to figure this out and he’s the only one offering any kind of help.”

“We could always try asking Tasha,” Allison tries, “She’s bound to know something. Or her family does.”

“Peter is her family. She’ll just have us talk to him or Derek.”

“Then let’s wait to talk to Derek. Or at least wait for her before we talk to Peter. He’s not just going to help. He’s going to try to manipulate you into giving him what he wants.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, she seems to be a bit distracted with Stiles.”

“Everyone is.”

“No, it’s more- she’d been distracted by him before,” Lydia points out, with a hum, “And he by her.”

Before Allison has a chance to respond or argue, Lydia’s pulled the door open. 

“They have been haven’t they,” Peter says as he turns around.

There’s a moment of silence before Peter addresses them directly, “The hunter and the banshee. Ladies, come in.”

Sharing a look, Lydia and Allison make their way into the room. 

“Why were you at the school today?” Lydia demands.

“Because I needed your attention, Lydia,” Peter points out like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Keeping his eyes on Lydia, he says, “She goes.”

Allison scoffs as Lydia makes a clicking sound, “The last time I was alone with you… I almost bled out on a lacrosse field. She stays.” 

Peter has a brief moment where he wonders if he could strangle these two Teenagers and their assumptions. They all tend to think that they know more than those that have gone before them. They’ll be the death of him he’s sure. 

“Do you actually think I was trying to kill you when I bit you? You were my backup plan, remember? Not to mention the bite is what brought out your recent abilities. Do you really think power like that was going to come out on its own?” 

He clicks his tongue then outstretches his arms, “I’m the spark that lit your fire sweetheart.” 

“You attacked her and nearly killed her.” the hunter spits out. 

Being forced to acknowledge here, Peter turns to the hunter, “Power doesn’t come without pain. Without struggle. I’d think you of all people would understand that. Or are you trying to say that you became a hunter all by yourself there was nothing that ever changed you?”

Allison looks shaken but doesn’t get a chance to respond because Lydia’s pointing out that she never asked for her powers.

“And how about the fact that you brainwashed her and used her to bring you back to life?”

“I wasn’t completely dead now was I?” Peter rolls his eyes, “She’s a banshee, not a necromancer. She can’t just bring people back from the dead. And besides, it means I’m here today to help her master her abilities. Isn’t it amazing how things come full circle?”

Allison turns to Lydia and grabs the girls arm, “He’s insane. We’re leaving.”

They’re almost at the door when Peter calls out, “You want the truth, Lydia?” 

Both girls immediately stop and Peter takes the opportunity to continue, “It’s not the scream that gives you power. All the scream does is help you drown out the noise, allowing you to hear what you really need to.”

He drops his voice down to a whisper, “I can help you focus your hearing.”

Lydia can hear his words echoing before she turns around. 

“But you want something in return,” Allison confirms as she, also, turns around. 

“Two things actually,” he says as he opens the cylindrical box and drops Talia’s claws on the table. 

“And why would we want to help you?”

“Because it involves saving Natasha.”


	34. Chapter 34

It doesn’t take long to make it to the school. As they get off the blue jeep, they notice the pandemonium. It would seem that her new mate was able to get the children off the bus. 

Well, _most_ of them anyway. 

There was still the one that had the box. 

The one little box that was the cause of all this strife. 

He can feel Stiles trying to break out Trying to tell everyone to stop wasting their time looking here but he holds him back, for now. 

Trying to look worried, he made his way with Scott, Natasha, and the twins to the busses. 

As they make their way through the throngs of children, Stiles continues to scream at the people around him, willing someone, anyone to be able to hear him. Void, on the other hand, drinks in their fear. It’s a good appetizer for the true course to come later. 

Random conversations filter through, _“We’re gonna die!”_

_“I don’t wanna die!”_

_“How did they get a bomb on the bus?”_

_“I haven’t even had sex yet! I don’t wanna die a virgin!”_

Scoffing, Void turns back to the buses in front of him and realizes that Stiles has gone silent. The child who hadn’t had sex was what had finally shut him up. 

_Interesting…_ This would have to be addressed at some point. 

Watching the scene within the chaos unfold, Void feeds off the fear. The adults are scared as well and there’s a certain sweetness to it that he’s missed. A young man catches his eye and he’s putting on some kind of suit. 

It takes a moment of searching through his host’s memory but the man putting on the suit is Parrish and he’s putting on some sort of bomb suit. He hasn’t been with the department for very long, he joined after the… Kanima attacks?

Well - _those_ are hard to create… He’s going to have to delve a bit more into this Kanima. Killing the master shouldn’t be too difficult and then he can control the creature. 

A movement catches his attention and he flicks his eyes over to it, her mate is moving into the school building. He must sense Void’s gaze because he stops before he enters, looking around. 

The mate going into the building could mean that she’s here and he would very much like to taste her entrails. However, that won’t work if he’s to keep his cover. An inadvertent huff of frustration escapes Void. 

“Stiles?” he hears and has to remind himself to be in the moment as he feels a hand in his.

Turning, he looks at the she-wolf, Natasha. There’s worry in her eyes but he can see the skepticism lying behind them. He laces their fingers together and tightens his grip on her. 

_**Let her go!** _ Stiles yells at him and Void can feel his host trying to take back control of his body. 

Tightening his grip on the girl, Void nods his head at the girl, trying to reassure her while he shows Stiles some of the plans that he has for her. 

Perhaps they can start with the girl tied up to a chain-link fence, her arms are tied to opposite ends of the fence and a scream is tearing through her lips as the hum of electricity fills the room. 

She’s tied to the gate by copper wires and her eyes flash purple as she lets out a snarl, snapping at the person just out of sight. 

**_I swear to God if you lay a finger on her-_ **

_Oh, I’m not going to do anything to her…_ Voids gaze moves towards the person controlling the wires… _you are._

The scene then changes and Natasha is standing outside his house, the doors just slammed and she looks like she’s about to cry. He watches as she looks like she’s struggling with something but he can’t seem to figure it what it is, or why she’d be crying outside of his house. 

_You really have no idea, do you?_ Void asks and he’s chuckling. 

**_What?_** Stiles questions, curious as to how much he can get from the creature. The more he can get, the more he can keep Void from paying attention to the scene in front of him and 

_Ah, ah, ah, Stiles. We can pay attention to both but you, you - just watch. She’ll be hunting soon._ Void turns his attention back to the bus in front of him and watches as the young man, Parish, makes his way towards the bus window. 

There hadn’t been a bomb but the Sheriff’s nameplate. 

It took them all second before they were moving back to their cars to the station. Scott was ahead of the group and Void could feel eyes on him. Stopping, he turned back, trying to find the source but it seemed that, wherever they were coming from, they would have to wait. 

***

“What do you mean saving Natasha?” Lydia asked as she stepped towards the former Alpha. 

“What do you think I mean?” he asked her, “I want to keep her alive and you’re going to help me make sure she stays alive.”

“Wait, is she dying?”

“Not yet but if things don’t go a certain way, she will.”

“We’re not gonna help you manipulate people,” Allison bites out.

Turning to glare at the girl, “I don’t really care for your opinion. I’m trying to save my niece right now.”

Allison goes to argue with him but is cut off by Lydia, “What are the claws for?”

“They were Talia’s.”

“Wait, Derek’s mom?”

“And my sister.” he reminded the two teens, “Before she died, Talia stole a memory from me. Something only a very powerful Alpha can do. That memory is locked inside those claws.”

“Why would your sister want to steal a memory from you?” Lydia asked, feeling like she had caught him in whatever lie he was weaving. 

Peter has to remind himself not to growl at the teen when he points out that it’s not something he could know, seeing as he has no idea what the memory is. 

“Lyds,” Allison calls out, “It’s for Natasha…”

Realizing that her friend is right, Lydia sighs before agreeing, “So what am I supposed to do?”

Picking up the claws, Peter hands them to the young banshee, “Listen to them, focus on them.”

Lydia looks down at the claws and she moves them in her hand. Closing her eyes, she tries to listen to them but she has no idea what this power is or how to access it. 

There’s no need to scream and she’s trying to figure out what to do to make this work.

“Focus,” Peter tells her. 

“I am focusing!” she snaps at him. He’d said he help but this wasn’t helping.

“You’re not! I can see the wheels spinning behind your eyes,” he snaps back before sighing. “Lydia, your hearing is attuned to a level of the universe no one else can hear. But only if you are listening.”

“I am trying,” Lydia points out. 

Frustrated, Peter goes to scare her, many times a banshees powers can come to when they’re afraid, 

“Try harder!” he practically growls as he gets up and moves towards her. There’s a snapping sound and then a crackling that Peter recognizing. Looking down he sees the electric rod. 

Snapping his claws out, he growls at the brunette, reminding her, “Your aunt had one of those.”

His voice becomes condescending and he curls his lip “Auntie Kate.”

Neither of them pays attention to Lydia’s pleas for them to stop. 

Allisons looking at him like she wants to rip his throat out and he smiles, “Didn’t do her much good as I ripped her throat out, did it?”

The words stung, and Allison moved to bite back when Lydia screamed at them to stop it. At the same time that she screamed, she threw the claws at them. 

Talia’s claws ended up in a wooden beam and Peter turned to see if it had worked. While they hadn’t scared her she had screamed. 

Lydias looking at the claws like there’s something there, something she can hear something and he takes a tentative step towards her, “Lydia?”

She’s focused on the claws and makes her way towards them so he tries again, “Lydia do you hear something?”

Lydia doesn’t say anything but continues to the claws. 

“Lydia, what is it?

Will it save Little Wolf?

Lydia, tell me what Talia took from me?

Tell me what she knew?!”

With each question, Peter becomes surer that whatever Talia had taken from him, it would help save Little Wolf in the future. 

Lydia turned around and looked at him, shock on her face she shook her head, “It’s not about Natasha.”

Shocked Peter shook his head, “What do you mean? What else could it be?”

Lydia swallows, unsure if she should actually say anything but the thing is that he should know, right? So swallowing past the lump in her throat, she tells him, “You’re not just an uncle.”

Shaking his head, Peter growls, “You’re lying.” 

Scoffing, Lydia shakes her head, “why would I do that?”

“Lydia this is about saving Natasha! You two may not care but I do!”

“Hey!” Allison yells, “She’s our friend too and we treat her a hell of a lot better than you ever could.”

He whips around and stalks towards Allison, like she’s prey, “Oh really? So when it comes down to it, you won’t hunt her down? You and your family will help protect her from the rest of you deranged and insane group of hunters?”

“Peter!” Lydia calls and he stops. He still needs her to be willing to help, to protect Little Wolf when Allison’s family friends come looking for her if Stiles is an idiot. He glares at her and she stares back at him, “I’m telling you the truth.”

There’s a conviction in her voice that he doesn’t want to trust but she sounds so sure of her and there’s a part of him that’s curious so he asks, “What do you know?”

“Nothing,” Lydia says but he can hear her heartbeat. It’s picked up and she smells like she’s nervous now. 

“LIar,” he chuckles as he steps forward. The chuckle is a slightly deranged one that sends fear down both girls’ spines. 

“I said I don’t know,” Lydia tries again, “I don’t know its name if it’s a boy or a girl.” With each word, she becomes more and more confident, before sneering at him, “Or if it’s some mutated wolf-baby.”

Snarling at her, Peter moves forward only to be knocked unconscious. 

Holding the electric baton, Allison looks down at Peter's form, making sure he’s actually out before turning to Lydia, “Now we’re going.”

The two girls back out of the loft, keeping an eye on Peter’s limp form, just to be safe, before rushing back towards Lydia’s car. 

“Lydia, what did he mean that he wants to make sure that she stays alive?”

Lydia’s quiet for a moment like she’s trying to think of something before she shakes her head, “I don’t know but we should probably find out.”

***

The last few days have been crap and you’re not sure how much more pain you can actually take on before you have to shift but hopefully, you can make it to the Sheriff’s station before the bomb goes off. 

You’re sitting in the backseat of Roscoe as Stiles weaves in and out of traffic. He’s not far behind the patrol cars but it doesn’t feel like it’s fast enough. 

For some reason, there’s a pit in your stomach that feels like it’s growing. There’s something wrong with this whole situation. 

**_This isn’t normal_ **

Scoffing, you try not to roll your eyes externally before pointing out, _Babydoll, I think normal flew out the window the day we realized that the family gift was ours._

**_Still-_ **

“Stiles! Watch out!” Scott yells, distracting you from your internal debate and you can feel Stiles jerk Roscoe to the side at the same time you smell burning rubber. For half a second, you’re terrified that he’s going to lose control of the jeep and but he manages to straighten it out. 

“You guys okay?”

“Yeah,” both you and Scott reply at the same time. 

Turning, you see a truck stopped right where Roscoe had been just a few moments ago and you realize you’d gotten lucky, the truck would have T-Boned the jeep. Breathing a sigh of relief, you try not to dwell on it. Thankfully, it’s not much longer after that the sheriff’s station comes into view. 

As soon as Roscoe's parked you jump off and that’s when the scent hits you. That’s what was wrong. You start running towards the building when you’re pulled backward and arms are wrapped around you, 

“Stiles! Let me go!” you shout, as you try to get out of his surprisingly strong grip. It’s as your struggling that the blast goes off. The windows shatter and part of the building shudders. 

“Derek!” you scream out. 

Breaking free of Stiles’ grip you make your rush into the building. 

Letting her go, Void watches as Natasha runs into the building. 

_Do you see her Stiles?_ He asks his host, _She’s going hunting again._


	35. Chapter 35

Breaking free from Stiles’ grip you rush into the police building. 

There are water pipes broken and waters flying everywhere. Parts of the building have collapsed within itself and there are bodies on the floor. 

Making your way through the bodies you look for your cousin. There’s plenty of deputies on the floor moaning in pain and the place reeks of death. 

“Derek?” you call out. 

“Over here,” you hear someone call. Looking towards the voice you see Chris Argent holding Derek. 

Running over, you drop down next to him, “Derek!” you call out and he looks at you. 

“I’m okay Little Wolf,” he pants out. 

You notice that there’s glass embedded in his back and you growl at him, “Liar.”

Looking at his body you make a quick decision. Taking his hand you look at the older hunter, “Argent. Pull out the glass pieces.” 

Argent begins to pull the glass from Derek’s back and you focus on your attention. As soon as Argents pulling shards of glass, you are taking the pain. You watch as Derek slumps forward a bit and you’re hoping that he’s slumping forward in relief. 

Gritting your teeth as Argent continues to do so, Derek begins growling low in his throat, looking down at him, you see him turn to look at your face. “You need to let go,” he bites out as he tries to pull his hand from yours.

Thankfully, Argent doesn’t pay attention to Derek and merely continues to remove the glass. 

“Derek,” you point out, grabbing his hand, “You’ve got glass everywhere. Let me help.”

“You’re in enough pain as it is,” he bites out. Your confusion must be evident on his face because Derek tries to pull his hand again, tries to get away from you, “I can smell it on you it’s stronger than normal.”

Rolling your eyes, you shake your head, “I can take more.”

“No!” he forces out. His voice is low and sounds raspy, as his body tries to heal around the remaining shards of glass. “Argent, stop,” he calls out and you look at the older man. 

Argent looks torn. He has to know that Derek’s body is trying to heal but can’t in some areas but he’s got a look of sympathy in his eyes that you recognize but don’t want. 

Derek manages to move away from you slightly. 

“Der, I can take it.”

“No. I’ll be fine.”

Growling at him, you move a bit closer, “Derek Hale! Pain is relative and I can take it. Now stop being so stubborn!”

He moves back and an involuntary groan escapes him. Smirking, you reach toward him when he moves back. “Pain is relative,” he echoes your words and then motioned his head towards the building in general, “go help the others.”

Looking around you, you realize that the moans of the dying you’d heard earlier were actually the moans of men and women dying. Sighing, you realize that he’s right and nod your head. 

Making your way to one of the deputies, you see a woman who can’t be older than her mid-twenties. Her eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling above her. There was a piece of sharpened lumber in her chest and you only hoped that her death had been instantaneous. 

Reaching up, you closed her eyes and said a prayer to the gods asking that her spirit find rest with either Odin in Valhöll or with Freyja in Fólkvangr. 

_Do you see that Stiles?_ Void pointed out as they made their way towards the she-wolf. His host had been preoccupied fighting with him about Scott and the dying deputy, he’d missed the interaction between her and the older men. The only thing he’d seen was the girl getting up from the dead woman. 

**_She couldn’t have…_** Stiles argued but Void could hear the slight hesitation. 

_Are you sure about that Stiles?_

**_Ye- yeah…_ **

_Stiles, We’re trying to save you._

_**You’re wrong…**_ Stiles argues and Void once again shows him the vision of the she-wolf hunting. 

Making his way towards the she-wolf Void reminded Stiles of the last thing he had shown him of the girl. 

_**She was partially transformed, canines extended and covered in blood. She was leaned over something and he could hear her growling. When she looked up the body of a toddler was at her feet ripped to shreds. The toddles abdomen had been ripped open and the girl he had been feasting on the child’s entrails.** _

_**She’d looked at Stiles before slowly standing up, there was no shame on her features, no fear in her demeanor. She’d made her way towards Stiles, covered in blood. Stopping just out of arm’s reach, she’d called his name.** _

_**He’d been rooted in his spot. Even covered in blood, she was the fiercest thing he’d ever seen, and the most beautiful. She stood with a determination that he’d not seen in anyone, not even Scott and he found himself drowning in the depths of her gaze before a sinister smile stretched across her teeth and she’d launched herself at him.** _

_**Shuddering, Stiles remembers that he’d been afraid of death in that moment but it had just been a lie. Right?** _

_How much do you actually know about her Stiles?_

Before Stiles can respond, Noah’s telling them to go. He’s rushing them out of the room and Void has a part to play. 

You’re taking the pain from one of the deputies when you hear Kira’s voice, “The Oni. They’re coming.”  
  


The mark on the back of your neck begins to burn and your hand flies up to cover it. 

**_We need to get Stiles out of here. If the Oni get to him, they’re going to rip him limb from limb._ **

_But he’s not… at least not- not right now._

**_But he’s fighting it. We need to go now…_ **

Without a word, you nod your head and get up turning towards Stiles and Scott. 

“Guys,” you call out and they look at you. You’re not sure what it means that without words, you all agree on getting to the animal clinic. 

You’re closer to the exit so they move towards you and you all make a beeline for Roscoe. Stepping out of the building you feel the downpour of rain on your skin and you pray that Roscoe can handle the road. 

Stiles opens the door for you and you and Kira slide into the back before he rushes to the other side and gets in, Scott not far behind you. Stiles pulls the jeep out and starts driving. He’s flying through the streets and Kira asks where you’re going. 

“Deaton’s,” you whisper. 

“Wait, isn’t that an animal clinic?” she asks and you don’t blame her confusion. You don’t think it’s safe enough but there’s probably nowhere safe right now. 

“Yeah,” Scott says and he sounds more confident than you think he is. “The place is lined with mountain ash. Just like my house. It’ll buy us some time.”

“But they can get through it?” Stiles tries to clarify. 

“Yeah, eventually,” Scott confirms.

“Nobodys got any better ideas?” Stiles asks and you don’t blame the hint of fear in his voice. The only thing you seem to know about the Oni is that they’re unstoppable and if you’re right they’re after Stiles. 

You want to fight them but she reminds you of the stupidity of fighting an enemy of you don’t know so you remain silent. The silence must be enough of a confirmation for Stiles because he sighs, “Sure, animal clinic it is.”

Pulling into the parking lot of the clinic, everyone is off the jeep and rushing for the doors instantly. Stiles tries to open the doors but they’re locked. 

“Scott we need the keys,” you demand but he says nothing. 

“Scott?” you call again and turn around. You find him looking towards the darkness and the speck of bright lights are there as three Oni materialize in the dark. 

“Stiles, get inside!”

Scott turns around and throws the keys at Stiles who opens the doors. 

**_Ours,_** she growls out and you nod your head. 

Meeting Scotts eyes for just a second, the two of you nod. You’d hold off the Oni as long as possible. Transforming into your were, you both rush at them. 

The Oni come at you, returning the favor and you can hear Stiles calling for Kira. 

“Stiles inside now!” you scream out. Your distraction allows an Oni to hit you. It’s hard enough that it launches you to the side and you hit the wall of the building. Groaning, your vision blurs for a moment. 

You’re a little disoriented but when you get up, there’s an Oni marching right at you before being thrown back. You look to see Kira had kicked the Oni. She nodded at you and the two of you got up to fight. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you see an Oni appear and march towards Stiles. 

“Get him inside!” you hear Scott yell and running towards the Oni, you launch yourself at it. You can feel him disappear as the two of you fall but you quickly recover and manage to push Stiles into the building. 

The two of you make it into the exam room and while the sound of the outside fighting is muffled but you can still hear it. Turning around, there’s suddenly a piercing pain in your abdomen. 

Gasping in pain, you look at Stiles and then down, “Stiles?”

You see his eyes and you realize at the same time she does, _**Nogitsune**_ , you try to claw at him but your limbs are heavy and you can barely move so you let out a low, menacing growl. 

He shushes you and your growl eventually turns into a groan of pain as you feel the sword being pushed further in and being twisted. 

“Does it hurt?” He taunts, and you squeeze your eyes shut against the pain. “Hey! Look at me!” The Nogitsune commands and you turn to glare at him.

“I’m surprised, Natasha. Stiles has such nice memories of you. You would think you’d recognize your mate.”

“ **I’m going to rip you apart,** ” she pushes forward, growling out. 

“Ah! There she is!! Oh, we are going to have so much fun with you.”

There’s a distant pounding you hear before being distracted by the Nogitsune turning your face to Stiles’.

“Remember, I feed off chaos, strife, and pain,” Nogitsune begins, “This morning you took it from Isaac, multiple times, then Coach and Derek. Not to mention your own pain, your own turmoil. All that pain. You took it all.”

He tightens the grip on the side of your face, “Now give it to me!”

You can feel the pain rushing out of the side of your face and you let out an involuntary gasp. 

“You really have to learn not to trust a fox… We’re tricksters. We’ll fool you. We’ll fool everyone.”

“Not everyone,” you hear distantly, and then the pain is rushing back in. Your face feels like it’s on fire, being burned off the bone and you roar out in pain before blacking out. 

Scott watches Natasha slump down and rushes forward to catch her. 

“Hold her still,” Deaton says before pulling the ninjato out of her abdomen. 

“What was that? Was that a cure? Is he okay?”

Deaton shakes his head, “The fox is poisoned- but it’s not dead,” he says as she examines the ninjato. Eyes widening, he looks at Scott, “You need to call Peter and Derek, now.”

Scott nods his head and is dialing for Derek. As soon as the line is picked up Deaton takes the phone, “She was stabbed with emerald wolfsbane.”


	36. Chapter 36

The doors burst open and three males rush into the clinic. It had only been a few hours since they had gotten the call but that was the good thing about having both money and friends in every imaginable business in the world. ****

“Who are you?” a male in some sort of lab coat demanded of them, keeping them from following her scent. ****

“Let us through to see Ylfa,” one of the males growled at the man in the coat before the taller of the two men that had rushed in placed his hand on his chest. ****

“Calm down Ro, this was Talia’s emissary.” ****

Deaton was surprised but took a moment to look at the three, two of them he did know. Though, it had been years since he had last seen them, “Alaric Ragnulf and Rogelio Ragnulf. It’s been a long time.” Turning to the boy with them, he tilted his head, “You… I don’t know.” ****

Alaric sighed, before introducing the boy, “This is Theodore. Now can you please let us through to see Ylfa,” ****

Deaton looks at the three before nodding. Opening the gate, he steps to the side and allows the group to walk into the backrooms. ****

The three males follow her scent and find her in an examination room. Her eyes are closed and she’s covered in a sheen of sweat, the occasional whimper escaping her. Peter is at her side, one of her hands in his and Derek is on the other. ****

There’s a low growling and the tow men turn to see that Alaric is standing there, claws out and fighting for control. Derek stands up and slowly approaches his younger cousin, “Aaric?”

Red eyes snap to Derek and a snarl before he lunges. Thankfully, he remembers himself and stops himself before he can actually tear apart either of his cousins. Taking a heaving breath, he moves past his cousin and moves to his younger sister. ****

Moving some of the matted hair from her forehead, he cups her cheek. He can feel the clamminess of her skin as she whimpers and turns her head into his palm. ****

A body comes up on his side and he knows that Ro is there. Theo won’t approach just yet, he has always allowed the family a silent moment when things are happening before he joins. ****

“How did this happen?”

“An Oni.”

This time, Rogelio is the one that growls. There are a lot of things that wolf can come back from, a lot of things that they can get past but the fact of the matter is that emerald wolfsbane is one of the most lethal of the wolfsbane. ****

Blue and purple wolfsbane can usually be healed by burning it out and yellow wolfsbane can be burned or released if one cuts deep enough but emerald wolfsbane has no known cure. It somehow manages to separate the wolf from the human, the instinct is torn away and the canine part of the were is left to die and rot within the human shell. It eventually poisons the body and turns it on itself. ****

The human either needs to connect with their wolf before the wolf can rot away or they need to fight off the infection the wolf brings. It’s rare but it is possible to survive. ****

“How long has she been out?” ****

“16 hours,” Deaton replies, “We’ve got another 4 before we’ll know if she’ll be lucky enough to survive it.” ****

“Guys, your Dad’ll be here in about 3,” Theo informs them as he moves to stand next to the girl he’d been in love with for years now. He remembers when he’d first started at the new elementary school, Rogelio had been the first to invite him to anything and she’d asked him a thousand questions before allowing him to play with her brothers. ****

A gasping breath pulled all their attention back to the girl. Her eyes were open and his blue eyes met her currently purple eyes and he cupped her face. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead. ****

“Theo?” ****

His heart hurt at the broken sound of her voice and he tightened his grip on her, “Yeah it’s me cariña,” he whispered into her hair. ****

She goes to say something but a grunt of pain escapes her immediately followed by a whimper. The whimper slowly develops into her crying out. ****

Deaton, Peter, and Derek all push the other three males out of the way and try to hold her down. ****

“Grab the iced towels,” one of them commands and Aaric sees the ice. Grabbing the towels he picks them up and moves back to his sister. ****

Placing a towel around her neck he puts another across her forehead and follows the usual places, tying them where he can, to try and cool her body down. Thankfully, Derek and Peter are able to hold her down enough that, while she moves them, she doesn’t completely knock them off. ****

Once she stops fighting against them and they feel her relax the older men release her. She’s breathing heavy and it’s obvious she isn’t comfortable but she doesn’t have any energy to fight them.

Ro steps in and rubs her arms. ****

“We can’t take the pain,” Peter informs the younger wolf and Ro gives a humorless chuckle. ****

“No, you won’t be able to,” Aaric sighs before turning to Deaton, “What can we do until then?” ****

Deaton looks at the young Alpha, observing him for a moment before responding, “The biggest thing is to keep her cool and then comfortable. Try not to move her too much, the poison moves faster the more she moves.” ****

The five men in the room look at each other, silent conversations had amongst themselves. Deaton moves to check the girl’s vitals. ****

“What’s the likelihood of her surviving this?” ****

“She seems to be fighting it off which is rare - but it’s good news. Does she have anything she could be fighting for?” ****

Ro scoffs at the question but remains silent. Deaton can press all he wants but some things are meant to be kept within the family. ****

Seeing that he’ll get no confirmation to his suspicions, Deaton sighs, “Well we’ll have to wait and see what happens.” ****

The room falls into silence, only interrupted by the sounds of labored breathing and the occasional whimper. ****

“Aaric?” comes the low, strangled voice, and everyone’s eyes whip over to the girl on the table. ****

Alaric moves towards the head of the table, taking her hand in his and kissing her forehead, “I’m here Ylfa.” ****

“Ro?” ****

“I’m here too. How you feeling?” ****

A wince of pain passes her features before she responds, “Peachy.” She takes a rattling breath before reaching out to her eldest brother, “Up?” ****

Her voice sounds so small that Alaric is tempted to pick her up but he remembers Deaton’s words, “I can’t Ylfa, the poison -.” ****

He’s interrupted by her coughing, a black liquid coming up with the coughs. He grabs one of the cloths that Deaton had left and cleans her. ****

With great effort, you reach up and stop your brother’s movements. He’s always taken care of you, both of them have, but it doesn’t really matter what they do now. His eyes find yours and you try to speak, “Already… dead…” It hurts to speak but you know what’s coming. ****

Your body’s on fire and it’s like the Nogitsune had given you more pain. All you wanted to do was close your eyes and let the pain fade away. It’s selfish, you know, but you can’t seem to care right now, “Please Aaric.. Don’t …” you’re coughing again and you can’t seem to get the words out, you’re trying to tell him you don’t want to die. You don’t want to go and you definitely don’t want to die “alone…” ****

You can feel the tears forming in your eyes and you feel like a child again. You’ve always hated crying and there’s no point in crying in the face of death but - Odin if you don’t want to die. You can feel a pair of arms pick you up and you’re wrapped in Aarics scent.

You feel like you’re home and the tears fall down your cheeks. There’s a purring in his chest that helps you relax and you take in his scent. 

There are others in the room. You can smell Ro and Derek and Peter. Theo’s scent is mixed in too but you’re sure that’s more your imagination than anything else. 

Focusing on just the scents, you allow them to fill you. She’s been surprisingly quiet throughout all of and so you take the time to turn inwards. 

At first, it seems you cannot find her. Searching through yourself, she seems to be gone which you know can’t be possible. Perhaps, you were too late and the wolfsbane had done it’s job already and you would actually die. 

You find her laying down, curled up on herself with her head resting on her back. Her eyes are open but she seems to be lost in her own little world and you nudge up against her. Finding that there’s a distance you don’t recognize you try to reach out to her again but cannot reach her fur.

You begin to panic, afraid of what it means and start frantically searching for something, anything, that might be able to help you reach her. Your step on something and, looking down, you see some matted fur. 

Kneeling down, you pick up the fur only for it to disintegrate into ashes between your fingers. Surprised you look around and see that not only is she still ignoring you but there is another body in the area. Getting closer, you see that it’s actually the body of a small fox. Nudging it with your toe, it doesn’t disintegrate or move but stays rooted in the spot. It doesn’t look dead though it does have bald patches. 

A cawing catches your attention and you see a raven flying above. It circles the two of you and the sleeping fox. 

**_It won’t wake up._ **

You’re startled by her voice and turn to look at her, _How can you be so sure?_

She doesn’t look at you but keeps her gaze upon the circling raven, O ** _din won’t let it. It’s why they let us go._** You don’t need to ask who she means when the kanji begins to warm, ** _They knew there was something more here but I wouldn’t let them see him._**

_Why?_

**_They would have killed us. So instead, I fought. Kept them from the creature._ **

Scoffing, she turns to look at you **_A lot of good that did us… It would seem we’ve been separated_** , and then there’s a mournful sound that escapes him, _**We couldn’t protect ourselves - how can we think to protect him?**_

_We didn’t know. You try and she snorts and you scoff, Okay, fine, you knew but I didn’t listen. Next time- I’ll listen._

**_We won’t make it out of this._ **

_We don’t have a choice. He needs our help. If we don’t get out of this Stiles could die._

**_Stiles… he is ours you know…_ **

_I know.._

**_But you didn’t believe me._** Her voice is laced with accusation and you don’t blame her, she had tried to tell you but you’d ignored every sign. 

_I know… but I know now that he is. And we need to find a way to save him._

She looks like she’s skeptical but she nods her head when she seems to realize that your survival is more for Stiles than yourself. Moving to stand, she falls forward before attempting it again. It takes a couple of tries and her legs seem wobbly, unsure if they can support whatever weight she has but she forces herself to stand. Smiling, you encourage her as she begins to walk, That’s it. Just one step in front of the other. 

It was something she used to tell you when you were first learning to control the different parts of you and to let them work together. 

**_One step in front of the other,_** she mocks but continues to walk. Each step becomes more sure of itself and soon she picks up the speed before she turns and runs straight at you. Meeting her gaze, you watch her for a moment before running towards her. You watch he push off her hind legs as she launches herself towards you. 

Before you’ve fully processed what’s going on your eyes are open and you’re gasping for air as Deaton’s clinic comes back into focus. Aaric and Ro are instantly in your line of sight but so are a pair of blue eyes that you’d recognize in the sea. 

Before you can say anything, however, you’re distracted by the sound of footsteps. Turning your head, you’re greeted by a sight that lifts your heart. He’s at your side and you’re in his arms before you’ve completed “Papá!” ****

He cups your face and kisses your forehead, before pulling back to look at you, “Ylfa, cómo te sienties?” ****

“Confused.” ****

Your father lets out a laugh followed by a breath of relief as you lean into him. He picks you up, just as he did when you were younger, and sets you down on one of the chairs that had been brought into the room. He sits on your other side and you find yourself adjusting yourself to get comfortable against him. ****

Once you do, he’s asking Peter and Derek, “What happened?” ****

“Papá,” you call getting his attention. When you can feel his eyes on you you move to sit up, he notices as you pull on the straps of the gown Deaton had put you in and he helps you remove the gown. ****

Focusing, you try to find the link to your wolf and allow the transformation to just, happen. It’s not long before you’re sitting on the floor of the vet in your wolf form, swiftly followed by your father, brothers, and Theo. Bodies are adjusted so that you’re in the center and there’s a feeling of contentedness that covers you. ****

You can smell the relief of everyone in the room as well as the lingering worry and the underlying anger. There’s a feeling of self-loathing that seems to ripple through the room as well and you realize it’s coming from Aaric, Ro and Theo. ****

Growling at them, you try and communicate that this isn’t their fault but either they’re being stubborn or you’re weaker than you thought. ****

Thankfully, Peter brings the topic back to hand, “Oni,” he says, “it would seem they’re here hunting a Nogitsune.” ****

The nice thing about being werewolves is you can communicate in either form with someone else, human to wolf and wolf to human. So it’s no surprise when your demands Peter explains further. ****

While the two older males talk, you turn your attention to Aaric, “You find Tia yet?” ****

He gives a solemn shake of his large head, “She may not be fully feral.” ****

Tilting your head in confusion, you wait for one of them to further elaborate. ****

“It would seem that she’s able to cover her tracks still. Dad was working on a lead when we got the call about you.” ****

You think about what that could mean for the people that live in your lands and you shudder at the thought. An almost feral wolf is more dangerous than a feral wolf because they can cover their tracks. There are parts of them that are still human enough to put together ways of escape where a fully feral wolf is reckless, often careless and makes mistakes that get it killed. ****

“Guys, I need a favor,” you begin when you’re cut off by the sound of your dad’s voice.

“Kill the boy then.”

Turning your attention to him you hope you heard him wrong but realize you hadn’t when you hear one of your cousins say, “We can’t and neither can you.”

_“And why’s that? This Stiles is just a boy. Regardless of the Nogitsune he’s still human enough to kill.”_

Growling at your dad you stand up and can feel six sets of eyes on you. 

“That’s why,” Peter points out and you bare your teeth at your father. 

He tilts his head in question and you have to control the urge to tear into him.

**_“Ours.”_ **


	37. Chapter 37

Three canines - three weres all made their way through Beacon Hills. Sticking to shadows, alleyways and back roads it wasn’t long before they’d found themselves outside of an ominous building. It’s got an iron gate around it and the words Eichen House written from the iron. 

You stood between your brothers as you watched the scene in front of you. Stiles was apparently going to be spending a few days at the house. Scott wasn’t happy about the decision and, quite frankly, neither were you. 

“You’re sure it’s him?” Ro asks and you can’t help the exaggerated eye roll. 

“Positive.”

“But he’s human?”

“He’s more than human… there’s something about him that… If he was one of us, he’d be an Alpha, no question about it. In fact, I don’t think-”

The sound of Scotts pleading grabs all of your attention back to the scene before you.

“Deaton’s got some ideas and Argent is calling people,” Scotts telling Stiles but Stiles shakes his head. 

“Scott, you don’t get it. I almost killed coach. And the people at the hospital-” Stiles is pointing out. 

“Stiles that wasn’t you,” Scott cuts him off but you watch as Stiles shakes his head and steps back. 

“I’ve probably killed Natasha,” he tells Scott and you can hear the shaking in his voice.

You can feel the tension in your brothers and you’re sure their hackles are up but you nip at each of them in turn. It hadn’t been Stiles. The eyes that had looked at you had been like a never-ending abyss, a void that destroyed everything in its path. 

Scott goes to rebut him but Stiles shakes his head, “Scott, I tried to stop. As soon as I realized exactly what he wanted to do to her, I tried to stop him and I couldn’t. The worst part is, I could feel her blood on my hands and how happy it made this thing.”

“Stiles,” Scott continues to plead, “We’re gonna figure something out. And if we can’t…” he trails off and you’re positive that he isn’t sure what they can do.

“Scott, if you can’t. I need you to do something for me,” he waits for Scott to nod his head before continuing, “Make sure I never get out.”

You let out a low growl at the thought and Scott must hear you because you see his head flick over to the area where you are with your brothers. 

Thankfully, neither Stiles nor Noah comment on it, instead, they make their way inside the gates of Eichen House. Scott and you and your brothers watch them before Scott turns around and makes his way over to the bushes you’re in. 

The three of you wait for Scott to come over and the surprise on his face at your forms would have made you laugh if had been any other situation. He asks what you’re doing and you look back towards the building you’d just watched your mate walk into. 

“He’s important to her so he’s important to us too.”

Inside Eichen House, Stiles and his dad are sitting in an office with one of the entrance nurses, nurse Watson. She has a kind smile but he’s sure that she can be something quite different when needed. She’s given him the run-down of what the next 72 hours and he’s taking off his shoes when his dad gets his attention. 

“Your pillow. Your pillow. We forgot your pillow,” hes saying and Stiles can hear how close he is to breaking. Stiles tries to reassure him but Noah shakes his head and denies him, “You’re never going to be able to fall asleep. We… We got to go back.” 

“It’s fine dad, I don’t need it,” Stiles continues to try to reassure but Noah is shaking his head. 

“I can’t.. I can’t believe I forgot it,’ he stammers out, “I mean every time we’ve stayed in a hotel the first thing you pack is your pillow.” 

Stiles can see the look on the nurses face, she looks like she wants to remind his dad that things are gonna be okay but she doesn’t actually say the words. So, he tries to reassure his dad, “It’s alright. You can bring it tomorrow.”

Placing his keys and change in the bing in front of him, he focuses on just the next step. He can’t think too much about what he’s done or he’ll break down and his dad needs him to be the strong one right now. Right now, he needs to be the one that gets both of them through this. 

“Okay, you know what?” His dad’s demanding and Stiles looks at him. “Stop. Stop. Enough,” his dad is saying and he can see the worry beneath the Sheriff exterior, “Stiles get your stuff. I’m not checking you in here if you’re not gonna get one good night’s sleep.”

“Dad,” Stiles gets up and puts his hands on his dad’s shoulders, “I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks. He then hugs him tightly and allows his dad to return the hug.

After the two of them separate, Stiles follows Nurse Watson up the stairs and through the building. He thinks for a moment that he sees Malia. Nurse Watson calls him and he follows her up the stairs. 

“I’m the part of the bird that’s not in the sky.”

Looking up, he sees a figured tying something to the railing as they continue to repeat, “I’m the part of the bird that’s not in the sky.” The words are getting louder and somehow, he just knows what comes next. 

Running up the stairs, he can hear Nurse Watson call his name, he stops to point out the figure. The words have changed, “I can swim in the ocean yet still remain dry,” and they’re getting louder and louder. 

Stiles and Nurse Watson are running up the stairs, calling out for someone to stop the guy but it seems like no one is listening. Calling out for him, Stiles tells him to stop but the man doesn’t listen and he watches as the man jumps, feet dangling near his head. 

Looking around, Stiles ends up looking downwards and sees a crowd of people hanging out at the bottom of the stairs. Amongst the crowd, there’s a sight that sends fear down his spine. It would seem that Void is in Eichen House as well. 

You make it back to the clinic and your brothers have transformed into their human selves along with your father but you can’t seem to find the strength to change again. Theo’s been sent to go take care of lodging for your family as he apparently wanted to avoid Scott. So sitting near your family, you watch as Scott, Allison, and Deaton are on the phone with Chris Argent. 

Apparently, Argent was the one that had sent Deaton and Peter to deal with Ikeda and was the reason they’d been able to get a hold of the lichen that had been used on Stiles. 

“The problem is that it’s not a cure,” your father calls out, loud enough for Argent to hear.

There’s a moment of silence where Argent must have been surprised because a moment later he greets, “Ragnulf… it’s been a few years.”

Your father just makes a hmm sound before he continues, “The lichen will wear off in a few days and when it does, the Nogitsune’s grip over Stiles will return. It’ll be easier for him to say yes a second time.”

“We don’t know that he said yes to begin with,” Scott points out, a look on his face like he’d very much like to punch your father but he shakes his head. 

“You’re his friend right? His Alpha?”

Scott doesn’t say anything, refusing to trust your father you think, so Allison steps in, “He’s our friend.”

It doesn’t seem to matter though because you’re father seems to be watching Scott, waiting for a response and eventually Scott gives a single nod. 

“You should have a closer bond to him. There’s only a handful of people that will ever have a closer bond than an Alpha and their pack. If he had still been struggling against letting the Nogitsune in, you would have noticed.” Your father’s voice falls dangerously low and is almost a growl when he continues, “but for him to be as calm as he was when he stabbed Ylfa, he would have had to say yes.”

His hands in your fur and you lower your head when you feel Scotts gaze on you. You should have listened to her. She’d told you that things were wrong but you’d been so focused on everything else that you hadn’t bothered to pay attention or listen. 

“What would make him say yes?” Ro questions as he sits next to you and you rest your head in his lap.

“Someone would have threatened his family. Would have threatened Sheriff or me, my mom… Any of our friends. Stiles would do anything to protect them.”

“But while it does work,” Argents voice cuts in, reminding you that he’s still on the phone, “the Oni won’t go after Stiles, right?”

Everyone looks at Deaton who sighs, “I hope so. Eichen House has an unusual history. It might not be all that safe for the Oni there as well.”

What does that even mean? She growls out and you look at Aaric who simply nods his head. They’ll look into it and see what they can find out. 

“What’s the second problem?”

“We checked with your contacts in Japan,” Deaton begins but is cut off by Peter. 

“The Yakuza boss you saw killed by the Oni never found the scroll.”

“Wait, what scroll?” Scott asks and you’re curious as well. Lifting your head up, you try to get up and move closer to Deaton but you can’t seem to find the strength. 

Deaton gets up and is mixing something for you as he answers Scott, “A Shugendo Scroll.”

“Wait, the Shugendo were the most intense mystics of Japan. They gave everything over to their beliefs. But what would this scroll have to do with anything?”

“The scroll had information on how to exorcise a Nogitsune,” Argent informs the group. 

“I did get a name, of the last man that purchased it,” Deaton informs the group before he puts a needle in your shoulder. The pain is dulled a bit and you feel like you can actually move. 

“Kincaid.”

Allison’s face flashes in recognition before she says, “He was with Katashi. He was the guy who met with Isaac to buy the gun.”

You let out a soft growl at your displeasure and Allison looks at you in question but she can’t understand you in this form.

“Sounds like Katashi wanted the scroll for himself.”

“But Stilinski already told me nothing like it was found among his things and a paranoid like Katashi would keep it close. Probably on him at all times.”

“Does the Sheriff know what a Shugendo scroll looks like?” Ro asks as he continues to soothe you.

The silence in the room answers the question for you. It’s not likely Sheriff knew what he was looking for and you wanna scream. How could they ask him to keep an eye out for something without describing it to the man? 

“What does a Shugendo scroll look like?” Allison asks and Deaton moves to grab one from a drawer at the same time that your father pulls a smaller one out of his pocket. 

“Wait, these come in different sizes?

You nod your head as they answer Allison, “Any size.”

“How small can it be?”

Deaton looks like he’s never thought of that but your dad answers, “Smaller than a nail if folded properly.”

Your friend nods her head slowly, “Then I think I know where it might be.”

Stiles is following Nurse Watson through the building, trying to convince her to let him make a call but she just shakes her head. 

“Okay I know there’s the whole 72-hour thing but I really need to use the phone.’

“The accident that occurred is being taken care of,” she tells him as she opens a door.

“You’re seriously referring to that as an accident?” Stiles asks, unbelief in his voice obvious. 

“Incident,” she replies. 

“Slightly better,” he responds sarcastically cause that’s not what it was. It was a freaking suicide. “Still, need to use the phone.” 

She opens the door and motions for him to enter. He enters but still tries to get her to work with him, “Just 5 minutes.” 

When she goes to close the door, he catches it, “Three minutes? Please. A three-minute call?”

Nurse Watson gives him a look that he can’t white interpret and asks, “Would you like to go to sleep Stiles or would you like to be introduced to our five-point restraint system?”

Stiles thinks she can’t actually be serious when a voice telling him they’d go with sleep startles him enough to let go of the door. Turning around, he sees a boy with light brown hair tied down across his chest and at his wrists. He waves at him and Nurse Watson closes the door. 

“Hey no! Wait, wait, wait!” he calls out as he bangs on the door for a moment but no one returns, 

Sighing, he leans his forehead against the door. This is better than hurting anyone though, he reminds himself. 

“I’m Oliver,” the boy in the bed calls out. 

“Stiles,” he provides after a beat. 

“There was a suicide, huh?”

“Yeah,” he answers, surprised at how normal Oliver makes it seem. 

“Is it Monday?” Stiles turns to look at the boy as he continues, “There’s a much higher rate of suicide on Mondays.” 

“Okay then…” he turns back to the door. “Ummm, hey can someone… just please let me out of here?” he calls out. 

“Someone?” he calls when there’s no sounds outside his door, “Anyone?”

There’s no one coming though and he has to take just a moment to breathe. There has to be a way out of here. 

“I heard it by the way,” Oliver says and Stiles turns to him slowly, “It happened in the stairwell right?”

“Yeah,” he answers slowly. Moving to the empty bed he asks, “How’d you know that?”

“I heard the echo,” Oliver responds like it’s the most natural thing in the world. 

“What do you mean?”

“It’s this place,” Oliver begins and Stiles can hear a hint of fear in his voice. “Something about the way that it was built. Everything echoes. Eventually… That’s why they call it,” Oliver’s voice shakes as he says, “Echo House,”

The room falls silent and Stiles hears it. There’s sounds echoing throughout the room. There’s crying and whimpering, screaming and sobbing. Oliver somehow manages to sleep through it all. 

Stiles finds that he cannot sleep. He could probably block out the sounds but he doesn’t have his pillow and even if he did…. Well the only thing he can see when closes his eyes is the look on her face when Void had plunged the ninjato into her. 

It hadn’t just been shock on her face. The pain had been mixed in with a look of betrayal and it bothered him. 

He thought about the time they’d spent together and how she had trusted him without question that day in the woods. He hadn’t been sure he would be able to get her out of the trap but she’d been so sure. His heart had swelled at the amount of faith she’d shown in him and later- when she’d come by with popcorn and Star Wars he’d been happy to just have her there. 

Falling asleep on that couch, with her, was the last time he can remember having a good night’s sleep. She’d been spending time with him pretty much since then and he noticed that she slept almost as little as he did. They were usually up a majority of the time working on some theory or another. Especially after the thing with Barrow and Kira at the substation. He doesn’t think either of them had slept more than a handful of hours since then. 

He watches as the light of the moon filters through and he remembers that during the last full moon, she’d shown up outside his house. He had been surprised at how much control she seemed to have but she told him that she felt calm when he was around and that she enjoyed his company. He wondered, briefly, if perhaps he was her anchor but if that had ever been the case Void had likely destroyed it all. 

Stiles sat throughout the night and thought of the girl with the eyes that were full of life and the smile that could light up a room. The girl whose voice made him feel calm and the girl who never failed to make him smile. 

He felt the sun come up and was reminded of how warm he’d felt when she’d kissed him the night of the blacklight party. He’d meant to talk to her about it, to ask her if he could kiss her again but she’d brushed him off and told him it was a mistake. A mistake… It had hurt to hear her say that but he could understand it… He was never anyone’s first choice… Why would he expect any different with her? But damn it if he didn’t want to be… 

He couldn’t help but pray that he hadn’t stolen the sun from her. The last he had seen or heard, Deaton was taking care of her. Stiles wasn’t a religious man by any means but he prayed to God that he would keep her alive.

As he sat there, he was reminded of the odd dream he’d had. The one where Odin had gone to visit the Nornirs.. Odin had gone to visit the Nornirs to ask for someone and he figured maybe… maybe they would listen to him if it was about Natasha. After all, she was one of theirs, wasn’t she?

“Ver-” he began but realized he couldn’t make the right sounds for the Norns name. Clearing his throat the thought back to that dream and focused on the way they’d been pronounced. Trying again, he spoke out, “Verðandi… Skuld… and.. Uumm” there was a third one. He remembered that from his research.

Taking a moment, he thought back to the names of the Norse gods and goddesses he’d read about but he couldn’t remember her name. 

“Look… Odin, Thor, Verðandi, Skuld, Freya, Loki, Balder, Frigg, Freyr, Heimdall, Hel, Tyr.. and anyone that’s listening… I - I hurt someone of yours. I uh… I didn’t mean to. ButNataqsha’s hurt. And it’s my fault. Please don’t… Don’t let her die… Please? Even if we never speak again… please just - don’t let her die…” He whispered into the early morning. He could feel a few stray tears fall down his face and wiped them away with the sleeve of the hoodie they’d given him. 

There’s a raven outside his window it’s hitting the glass window. Looking up at the bird, he again hears the screams of the other patients but there’s a scream in particular that catches his attention. Natasha’s scream. He starts banging on the door calling for someone to let him out but, of course, no one hears him. 

His pounding dies down when he realizes that the raven is still butting against the window. Turning towards it, he moves his hand towards the spot the raven is hitting. 

“Hey there,” he calls out softly and is surprised when the raven looks at him. 

She needs you Stiles, he hears. Turning around, there’s no one in the room that he can see. It’s not Void, the voice is different. He’s almost tempted to say it was the same voice he’d heard in his dream… There’s a cawing sound and he turns back to the raven, Fix it Stiles… The raven then takes off, leaving Stiles to stare at it as is disappears. 

Staring out the window, he was pulled from his thoughts when Oliver finally woke up and asked him, “Have you been awake all night?”

Stiles nodded his head and gave the easiest answer, “Yeah, I can’t sleep without my pillow…” 

Oliver nodded and then fell into a coughing fit. Stiles asked if he was okay and Oliver nodded, “I swallowed a bug the other day. You ever do that?” 

While Olivers talking it occurs to him that he may be able to find out what’s going on with Natasha. And hopefully, get out of here at the same time… If he can get to a phone. 

“I keep coughing like it’s still in my throat,” Oliver says and Stiles nods his head. 

“That’s disgusting Oliver. You don’t have any idea when they unlock the doors, do you?”

There’s a clicking sound as the door unlocks and footsteps as someone walks away, indicating the doors are now open for the day. 

“Now,” Oliver points out as if he’s being helpful.

Stiles waits till the footsteps are gone before turning to Oliver, “Oliver, I need to get to a payphone. Can you help me?”

Oliver nods his head and Stiles moves to help Oliver with the bindings before the two of them make their way out of the room. 

They’re walking through the hallways and Olivers pointing out different rooms that are used for different things and different patients and what they each suffer from. 

“Most of the people here are okay,” he’s saying as they round a corner. “The violent ones are in the closed unit. That’s Hillary,” he points out, “She has OCD. That’s Gary. He thinks he’s Jesus Christ. Dan.. Also Jesus.” They pass a woman sitting on an orange couch and Oliver names her as Mary. 

“Mary Magdalene?” Stiles throws out.

“No. She also thinks she’s Jesus,” Olive points out as they come up to a set of payphones. “You’d be surprised how many Jesus’ we get.”

Stiles shakes his head, “Not really.” 

He looks around him, he’s heard the screams that these patients have made and while a part of him feels bad for them, he needs to get out. No one is safe here and he needs to figure this thing with Void out. 

“Hey, how come you wanna use the phone already?” 

“‘Cause after one night, I’ve changed my mind,” Stiles says without thinking, “about this place being safe for me. Or anyone. Ever.”

Realizing how that comes across, he goes to say something when he hears the woman on the phone. “No. No, I think you’re wrong. I really think I should tell them.” She’s got short red hair that’s somewhat curly and she’s telling the other person on the line, “They’re going to want to know the story. The whole story.” Her voice is almost pleading before it turns kind of dark, “I really think they should know…Yes, I do…One of them is standing right behind me.”

The last line really catches his attention and he turns. The woman hangs up the phone and passes by him without looking up. 

“Who was that?” He asks as he goes to get the phone, 

“That’s Meredith,” Oliver informs him, “She’s a little weird.”

“Well you’re a little weird,” he points out, “She’s a lot weird.” He lifts the receiver to his ear but there’s no sound. No busy tone, no dial tone, nothing. 

Pressing on the switch a couple times he finds the same thing. The phone’s not working, “It’s dead.”

“Yeah,” Oliver says, again, with a voice that indicates this should be obvious. Stile looks at his roommate who continues, “They turn off all the phones for 24 hours after a suicide.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that before?” Stiles asks, annoyed that he’s been wasting time. 

“Why didn’t you ask?”

Slamming the receiver down, Stiles walks down the hallway. Oliver’s asking what he plans to do now and Stiles responds, “I’m getting out of this nuthouse.”

“That’s not really the appropriate way to describe a facility like this,” he hears Oliver say. 

He doesn’t bother to respond as he comes up on a head of that looks very familiar. He hadn’t actually been imagining things the night before, she was actually here… “Malia?”


	38. Chapter 38

“Malia?”

He watched as the brunette turned around and saw him. Stiles watched as she seemed to try to piece together who he was but there was no recognition in her features. 

“Hey,” he called out softly as he, carefully, walked up to her “It’s Stiles.”

She didn’t seem to recognize him or his name so he tried to reach her by reminding her, “I’m friends with Scott.” There’s a flash of recognition because of course there is and he pushes “Remember we - we were the ones that helped you out with…” 

He’s unable to finish the words because there’s a fist in his face and he’s on the ground. It takes a fraction of a second for him to realize that she’d actually punched him. 

“Hey, Malia!” he hears and out of the corner of his eye he can see someone grabbing her but he has no time to react as his arms are pulled behind his back and someone is holding him down.

“She hit me!” he tries to point out, to no avail as the body simply pushes him further down. 

“A few more like this, Malia, and you’re headed for the closed unit,” you can hear a male voice telling Malia. 

The hands have moved to his neck and the pressure is becoming painful as he struggles against the hold, “Wait! Wait! I didn’t do anything!” 

It’s as he’s struggling against the arms that are holding him down that something catches his attention. The grate… He knows that grate. 

The night Void had tricked him into thinking he had gone sleepwalking when Void had first appeared. The night he’d called Scott and it had been Natasha that had found him… 

He barely recognizes that the weight on him has been removed and he continued to stare at the grate when he heard his name being called. 

He knows that voice, looking up he sees Ms. Morell. She’s looking at him like something occurred to her and she kneels in front of him, “You saw something didn’t you?” 

He’d been looking at the moon through the grate that night. He remembers, “that basement,” his eyes are back on the rounded holes that he’d been so desperate to be on the other side of, “I’ve been down there before.”

She gives him a look that he doesn’t quite understand but he knows it means nothing good. 

The sun woke you up, you’re not even sure when you’d left Deaton’s clinic but you couldn’t be happier to be in the loft. Pushing yourself up, you can feel your muscles protest at the movement. It’s been a while since you’ve spent so long in your wolf form and you’re body probably not used to it. You’re sure that the recovery process doesn’t help the overall situation either. 

Taking a deep breath, you focus, allowing your muscles to adjust, to shrink and lengthen and your fur to recede and hair to grow, your spine eventually straightens and you find yourself back in human form. 

“Ro? Aaric? Papá?” you called out as you moved to get dressed. Quickly changing into one of your most comfortable outfits, you hear a knock on the door and call for whoever it is to enter. 

“You’re awake” you hear Ro’s smile in his voice and turn around to see that he and Aaric have entered the room. Your brother pulls you into a hug and you can feel the relief radiate off him. A moment later Aarics joined the two of you and you relish in the feeling of contentment with these two. 

Eventually, they pull away and, surprisingly, it’s Ro that scolds you, “You should be more careful,”

You scoff as you move to sit on the bed, “Right cause getting stabbed with an Oni sword covered in Emerald Wolfsbane was part of any plan anyone’s ever made in the history of ever.” 

As you get comfortable, you realize that there are people missing. 

“Guys, where is everyone?”

“Well Theo’s doing some research on Eichen and then he’s gonna be meeting up with Peter.”

“Wait, where’s Peter?” 

“There are rumors that Araya was seen at the border,” Aaric informs you, “They’re trying to confirm if she’s actually come in or if she’s just expanding her patrol area.”

“Great…” you mutter when something occurs to you, “Guys she’ll go after Stiles if she’s here.”

Ro nods his head and Aarics running his fingers through his hair before he sighs, “We know. Which is why we’re looking into it and hoping to not get caught off guard.”

“Hoping?”

“Araya and her family have been hunting almost as far back as our family has existed. They’re good at staying under the radar when they need to. DOn’t worry though, we’ll make sure she can’t get to Stiles.”

“How?” you demand of Ro. Aaric will be the Alpha but Ro is to be a general which means that something like this would be his to plan. 

He goes to answer you but Aaric puts his hand up, stopping your brother.

“We’re working on it,” he says and you can hear that his face is begging you to trust him. You want to argue with him but this is your brother and he’s never let you down. 

You nod your head, “Alright well that covers Peter and Theo but what about Dad and Derek?”

“They Ummm…” Aaric begins but he’s uncomfortable, “They’re down at the Sheriff’s station.”

“Why?”

“It would seem Derek thinks he can be of more help there for some reason and uh, well Derek turned himself back in.”

“Well that’s stupid.” you huff as you cross your arms, “and why did Dad need to go with him?” 

As they go to answer, you hear Lydia and Allison calling your name. Aaric merely shakes his head and you’re sure that Ro is rolling his eyes, “It would seem you have a hunter and a banshee here to see you.”

The girls walk into your room, Scott following not far behind. Upon seeing you, both of them rush over and you’re enveloped in their arms. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Does anything hurt?”

“Can you still feel the pain?”

“How’d this happen?”

“What did happen?”

Four voices are shooting off questions faster than you can keep up with and you put your hands up, “Woah, Woah, Woah! Wait a second guys,” you chuckle softly, “One question at a time.”

Lydia and Allison shake their head and it seems that neither one of them is sure to start. It’s then that you notice that Kira’s come with them. She looks uncomfortable and you don’t blame her, foxes and wolves don’t get along and she’s currently in a room with 2 Alpha males and a Sentry. 

Thankfully, Scott manages to salvage the situation, “You doing alright?”

Smiling at him, you nod your head, “About as okay as one can get after Emerald Wolfsbane.”

“Yeah, what is that exactly?”

“A bitch,” Ro says and you watch as Aaric moves to smack the back of his head. 

“Emerald Wolfsbane is probably the most deadly of the known Wolfsbanes. It separates both the wolf and the human and makes them turn against each other within the soul,” Aaric clarifies, though he doesn’t sound like he’s willing to share much more.

“Almost like cancer?” Lydia clarifies and three heads nod in agreement. 

Your banshee friend turns to you and her voice is a little shaky, “How’d this happen?”

“I don’t know,” you whisper with a shake of your head, “I didn’t even know it could grow around here.”

“That’s because it’s not supposed to,” Aaric says from where he’s decided to observe your new friends. When everyone’s attention is on him, he continues, “Emerald wolfsbane is notorious for being difficult to grow. It’s kind of like an orchid, there’s more ways to kill it than there are to keep it alive.”

“Well, how would Stiles get a hold of it?” Kira asked softly. 

“It wasn’t Stiles,” you quickly pointed out, trying to keep the growl from your voice. 

“Ylfa’s right,” Ro stepped in, “Even if he were supernatural, even hunters tend not to use emerald wolfsbane.”

You can see Allison nod her agreement out of the corner of your eye. The room is silent for a couple of minutes as everyone thinks about what exactly that means. There’s no love lost between hunters and supernatural creatures, everyone knows that. But there are some things that the two groups just don’t do to the other. 

The silence is interrupted by a phone ringing, Aaric steps out of the room and you just know that something is happening. It’s not long before he comes in. Looking from you to Ro he looks over to Allison, “You’re sure about that Shugendo Scroll?”

She seems confused for a moment but nods her head, “Yeah, why?”

“Apparently the case of the dead man, Katashi, is being handed over to Federal Jurisdiction. They’re going to be moving everything from the Sheriff’s storage to a federal lock up.”

“Which means we only have a small window to get the scroll.”

“Wait, can’t Stiles’ dad get the scroll before they move everything?” Kira asks the group. 

“It’d be nice but he’s supposed to be driving out to L.A. Besides, he’s still under investigation,” you point out. Scott looks a bit sheepish but you shake your head, “Not your fault.”

“Still…” he mutters but doesn’t say anything further. 

“There’s something else,” Aaric says and it’s in that tone of voice you recognize as him being cautious of someone’s reaction. Whatever he has to say won’t be good.

“What happened Aaric?”

“Derek’s more worried than he let on. Seems he’s worried that Stiles doesn’t actually have control. He’s worried about what Stiles has done-”

“But it’s not Stiles,” Scott cuts off. 

Aaric nods his head, “Argent apparently had a similar thought process. Said you guys have dealt with this before?”

Scott looks like he doesn’t understand what Aaric could be talking about and you haven’t been around long enough. Thankfully, Lydia gets it, “He means Jackson.”

“Wait I thought Jackson was a kanima?” you point out. “A kanima and a kitsune are very different creatures. You won’t be able to save him in the same way.”

“Well then, we have to just get lucky and get to him in time.”

“And if we don’t get lucky?”

The tension in the room is back and you can’t stand it. This whole situation is a mess. You finally figured out why you’d been drawn to Beacon Hills but your mate is being possessed by a kitsune that thrives and feeds off chaos. There are hunters in town and rumors of other hunters in the area. This is just a mess all the way through. 

“We were able to save Jackson. We were able to get him back in time,” Scotts saying and you can see the wheels turning, “We’re going to save Stiles. We just need to figure out how. We need that scroll.”

Everyone nods and soon ideas are being thrown about the room about how to get into the Sheriff’s storage before the things are moved to a federal lock up.

“What if we have Stiles Dad just call the deputies and tell them to let us in?” one of the girls asks.

“Can’t,” Scott argues, “Like Natasha pointed out- my dads still doing his investigation so if anything goes missing from something he does, it’s game over.”

“We could try and get into it while it’s on the road?”

“None of us are James Bond.”

“Wait- but what if we got into it just before they left the Sherriffs Station?” Kira asks and it sounds crazy but it might be doable. 

The group of you get together and start working out how this might work. It’s as you’re working out what could be the possible kinks that you notice Ro has stepped in and is helping them out with some of the planning. He’s giving advice as to where its the most likely to be able to get access to the truck and what some of the best ways to knock out the driver or could be in case the driver can’t be distracted. 

There’s a tap on your shoulder and you turn to see Aaric motioning for you to follow. 

Getting up from the seat you’d been in, you feel like you’re about to stumble but catch yourself before you do. Following your oldest brother into the hallway you barely make it out before he says. “You’re not going.”

“What? Of course I’m going!”

He shakes his head, “Yl, you need to rest. You do realize the fact that you’re even up right now is a miracle, right?”

Crossing your arms, you glare at your brother, “I need to be a part of this.” 

Your brother just looks at you and you shake your head.

“Don’t,” you whisper. Your voice is broken and it sounds like your begging him but you don’t care because you are begging him. You need to be out there- you need to be part of the solution to save Stiles.

Cupping your cheek, your brother says your name softy, forcing you to look him in the eye. 

“It’s my fault,” you whisper and you can feel the tears running down your face. You hadn’t even realized that they had accumulated. You feel his thumb wipe the tear from your eye and he shakes his head. 

“It’s not. You had nothing to do with this.”

“I didn’t protect him!”

“But this was something they did. You said it yourself- he, Scott and Allison all sacrificed themselves so that they could find their parents. They opened the door and sometimes things get in.” 

You got to argue with him, to demand that he take back what he said but he shakes his head, “I’m not saying this is their fault. We would have probably done the same thing in their shoes. But the thing is that this was inevitable once they made that sacrifice and you need to accept that it’s not your fault. Besides, you almost fell back there don’t think I didn’t notice.”

“But I can help!”

“Ylfa, you need to be resting. You need to be at your best. This war isn’t over yet and we aren’t gonna be here for all of it.” 

His words surprise you and you raise an eyebrow at him in confusion. Sighing, he informs you “Tia Clara is getting more and more - well we’re not sure. She should be fully feral by now but she’s not and we can’t seem to find any real trace of her when we go looking but the problem is that she’s getting bolder. There were a bunch of bikers that were torn apart not too long ago just outside our territory and so we need to stop her. We’ll probably be going before the end of the week. We want you to come with us.”

Damned ravens… the old god was going to ruin everything if he had his way. 

Void watched as Stiles moved through the building. The woman, Morell, was here. She’s probably be protecting him but all Void has to do was wait. His host had said yes already and he would say yes again. 

Buttons just had to be pushed and that damned lichen needed to leave his system. But it would only be a few days and then he’d have a host again.

In the meantime, he’d just make sure that he was in his hosts view as much as possible. 

He’d been dragged to group therapy, Ms. Morell had said it would help. Help what or how he wasn’t sure but it’s not like he had much of a choice in this. 

He’s in group with Oliver, Malia, Meredith, Mary and a few others he doesn’t know. He can hear Oliver coughing- he probably still feels that bug. 

Looking around him, he’s trying to figure out the easiest way to get out of here when he sees a patient talking to Void. Voids wearing a lab coat and Stiles is willing to bet the patient thinks he’s talking to a Doctor. 

He’s about to move when he hears his name. Turning to Morell, he sees that most of the group is looking at him, “I’m sorry, what?”

Meeting Morells gaze, she asks, “Guilt, what does it make you feel?”

“Nervous,” he replies and he can hear the shakiness in his voice. 

“Like a sense of urgency?” She asks, “You feel an urgent need to make up for something you’ve done?”

He doesn’t say anything because that’s what he feels right now, but it’s not like he can tell her that. She and her brother haven’t been very helpful in the past and he doubts they’ll start now. Pursing his lips as Morell continues her thought process. 

“… these are healthy responses. Does anyone know what we call someone who doesn’t experience guilt?”

Stiles can see Void pretty much everywhere. He’d been with the patient and then walking on the other side of the room, looking away Stiles could swear he saw bandaged hands sitting next to him. 

Trying to focus on anything else, Stiles directly at the floor in front of him. He rolls his shoulders, trying to pull out some of the knots he can feel. The room’s beginning to get smaller and there’s suddenly too many people around. 

Trying to remind himself to focus on his breathing, he’s pulled by Morell’s voice, “- we need to take a break.” 

As everyone gets up, he moves to get out of the damn room when she cuts him off, “Come with me, Stiles. I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”

Not having much of a choice, he nods his head and follows her. As they’re walking, he begins to ask what she wants to talk about but she puts a hand up and shakes her head. 

It’s not long before their in some sort of office and she tells him how Deaton’s told her about the Nogitsune situation and the Letharia Vulpina, which was apparently what Deaton had shot him up with. 

“So what’s this got to do with me?” he asks, not sure why she would care to try and help him now. 

“Turn around,” she demands and makes a turning motion with her finger, “and lift up your shirt.” 

He hesitates and before he can fully process what’s happened he can feel her hands on his back. They seem to be tracing something.

“Lichtenberg figure,” he hears her mutter after a moment.

“I’m sorry what?” He questions as he steps away from her. 

“It’s called a Lichtenberg figure. They appear on lightning strike victims. The fact that they’re appearing on you after a shot of Wolf Lichen is both significant and strange,” she says, almost more to herself than to him.

He knows it’s not what she means but he has to try, he needs something good, so he sarcastically responds, “By significant and strange you mean hopeful and optimistic?”

She’s silent and he knows that’s his answer. The feeling of dread that hasn’t really gone away through all this takes a tighter grip on him and he has to fight not to show a reaction. WHile he’s trying to keep it together, Morell goes to the cabinet and pulls something out, “When the marks fade, the Nogitsune’s grip over you will return.”

She’s holding a bottle in her hand that she hands to him, taking them slowly, he asks, “What are these? Sleeping pills?”

“Amphetamines,” she replies, “Sleeping is exactly what you don’t want to do. You’re vulnerable when you sleep. Besides, I’m sure you’re not exactly fond of what you see when you close your eyes right now.” 

There’s a knowing litl to her voice that instantly puts him on edge, Deatons probably told her all about the night he’d pushed a sword into her and she’s going to mock him for it.

She must see the frustration on his face because she’s backtracking, “Relax Stiles, I don’t think you could ever truly hurt her. Though I do wonder if either of you will ever be able to look at each other again and not see that moment.”

That’s it! He doesn’t have to stand here for this, doesn’t have to listen to a damn thing she has to say. He makes his way towards the door when she calls after him, “If your friends haven’t figured out those marks are gone I’ll come find you.”

“To tell me what to do?” he scoffs.

“No, to give you an injection. Pancuronium Bromide to cause respiratory paralysis,” she says as though she’s talking about the weather and he turns to her. 

“That sounds a lot like death,” he practically growls as he crosses his arms. 

“It’sused for lethal injection, yes.”

“So when the Nogitsune takes over, you’re going to kill me?” he clarifies. If she thinks that he’s gonna go out without a fight, she’s crazier than the people in this place. 

She looks directly at him and there’s a part of Stiles that realizes that he really has no idea what she’s capable of. They don’t know much about emissaries in general but what they do know is that this one, this one was the emissary to a bunch of crazed Alpha’s who slaughtered their own packs. 

“I’m going to do what I’ve always done. Maintain the balance,” there’s no hesitation in her voice. 

“Okay then… MIssed our talks,” he says as he turns around and makes his way out of the room. 

“Stiles,” she calls after him but he doesn’t stop this time, “Stay awake.” 

Void watches as his host make his way through the halls. He seems to be careful not to be seen but Void knows exactly, how to get what he wants. 

He watches as the boy, Oliver comes up behind Stiles, “What are you doing?”

His host jumps slightly at the unexpected startle before turning to the brunette but he doesn’t rush him away, instead, he asks him for help. 

That’s going to be his in.


	39. Chapter 39

“Aiden and Ethan are on their way,” Lydia says as she comes back into the room.

Whatever had been planned was going to need everyone. Everyone but you. Aaric and Ro and managed to convince your friends that you needed to sit this one out. So you were trying to figure out some way to be helpful through all of this. 

Making your way to the kitchen you prepare some chamomile to try and calm your nerves. Scott comes in not too long after and you motion towards the heating water, “Would you like some?”

He nods his head and you go about making the tea. 

Scotts clearing his throat, “I- uh… I’m sorry about the other day.” 

You chuckle as you pour the water into each mug, “It’s not your fault. None of us knew that the Oni had Emerald Wolfsbane

“No, that’s not it-” Scott says with a shake of his head, “I uh… I should have known that…”

“You’re right, you should have known,” comes Aaric’s voice and you groan. 

“Aaric,” you warn. 

“Nah kid, Stiles is his pack. He should have known things were off.”

Scott goes to say something but you cut him off, “Aaric, she knew something was off but it was kind of a hectic day and I didn’t listen to her. These are Scotts lands, this is his home, don’t you think that he’d be a bit more distracted than I was?”

“He’s an Alpha,” your brother challenges you

“Right cause you’ve never made a bad call,” you challenge back.

“Guys!” Scott interrupts you and you turn to him, “I screwed up alright. I should have known but I didn’t and I’m sorry you got hurt Natasha.”

You offer him a small smile and Aaric nods before he moves about the kitchen. 

You hand Scott the finished tea and are sipping on your own when he asks, “So- How you holding up?”

You can feel the tension roll off your brother and you softly shake your head. He’s going to be a bit of an ass for the foreseeable future it would seem. Scott must notice it too because you can see him visibly stiffen and you reach out to touch his arm, “I’ll be okay.” 

He returns the smile and covers your hand with his before giving you a comforting squeeze, “I am still sorry.”

“Hands off her pretty boy,” your brother growls softly and Scott looks at you, eyebrow raised. 

Sheepishly, you pull your hand from him and shake your head, “Don’t mind Aaric, he’s just being an ass.”

“Right because your mate is going to so appreciate you smelling like another male,” Aaric snaps at you and you growl at him.

“Don’t give me that Ylfa, you’ve been foolish enough as it is,” your brother scolds you and you notice that he sounds more scared than mad in that moment. 

Immediately, you calm down and make your way towards him, reaching out you call his name. He pulls you into a tight hug and you allow him to just hold you for a moment before pulling back, “I didn’t mean to scare you..” you whisper. 

He scoffs before kissing your forehead, “Then don’t go around threatening people’s mates.”

Making his way to the showers Stiles walks in and turns on a faucet. He’s throwing water on his face and reminding himself that all he has to do is stay awake when movement in the mirror catches his attention. 

He looks over his shoulder and does, in fact, see Malia in the showers. Quickly turning back to the mirror in front of him he looks down and tries to focus on something else. Thinking back, he’s sure he walked into the boy’s room… didn’t he?

“Don’t worry Stiles,” Malia’s saying, “You didn’t just accidentally walk into the girl’s room.”

“Thank God,” he clears his throat and looks at the floor as he moves towards the door but his curiosity gets the better of him and he asks her, “Okay… so what… what’re you doing in the boy’s room?”

“Showering,” she replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“I can see that,” Stiles responds before he realizes how that comes across. “Well I mean I saw that,” he tries to recover and it just sounds, “Well actually, I didn’t see anything really… I just.” he’s frazzled and completely out of his element, “there was too much steam to uh… not that I would prefer there to be less steam…”

“Stiles I don’t care,” Malia calls out and he is so grateful that he’s allowing er she’s giving him an out and keeping him from sticking is foot father in his mouth. 

“In the woods, there was no boys and girls room,” she continues, “And if you really need to know they keep the water temperature in the girl’s room too low. It’s much hotter in here, ever since I turned back to a human I just can’t seem to get warm.” 

God help him he has no idea why he doesn’t leave but instead, he continues the conversation as he places his hands on his hips, “Maybe you just have a- a low core temp,” he offers. “You know you might be sick or-”

“I used to have a fur coat,” she snaps at him as he tries to offer other alternatives but she’s right. 

“It- it could be… it might be that. It’s probably that,” he offers and hears her turn off the water. 

His eyes flick over to her as he watches her grab the towel before he snaps them away but shes noticed. 

‘Now you’re staring,” she points out and he shakes his head.

“No, I’m not,” he points out and 

He can see her move out of his periphery and he tries not to focus on her skin, as she walks up to him, “Then what are you doing?”

She’s wrapped a towel around herself and he sighs in relief, before turning to her, “I was kind of wondering why you punched me…”

He watches as she raises an eyebrow and scoffs “Did you think I was gonna thank you?”

That had been exactly what he’d thought but she seemed like that was the last thing she wanted to do, “No…” he starts off then shakes his head, “Maybe? We did kind of save your life.”

“You’re right Stiles,” She says and he can tell she doesn’t actually mean it. She continues, “Thank you. Thanks for invading my home. For putting me on the run. For turning me back to human so that I could look at my father every day and try to figure out how to explain to him that the reason my sister and mother are dead is because I almost ate them on a full moon. Thank you so very much.”

With each statement, Stiles feels smaller and smaller and by the end, he feels no worse than a cockroach. He hadn’t thought of it that way, none of them had.

“We were just trying to help,” he whispers apologetically. 

“You wanna help me? Find a way to change me back,” she demands of him. 

There’s a conviction in her voice that he doesn’t understand so he tries to clarify, “You want to go back? To being a coyote?”

There’s something at the edge of his mind that seems to think it’s actually quite possible and he can actually help Malia with this. He’s trying to follow the thought when Malia grabs him and demands what he knows. 

Natasha… 

It’s a whispered voice but it makes sense. Isaac had told Scott about her spending time in fur… perhaps she knew how to actually transform into the wolf part… Licking his lips, he looks at Malia, “I might know someone who could teach you how to change.”

Malia looks like she’s grateful and nods her head, “Okay, what do you want?”

He’s not even sure that Natasha can help but maybe she can… Besides he needs to know what’s in that basement… he has to try, right? So he tells her, “I need to get into the basement. Which means I need to get the keys off that orderly, the big one.” 

“Brusnki,” she confirms. 

“You help me and I’ll help you.”

You look at your group of friends and your family as they got about making plans. Everyone seems to have different ideas. Ally and Lydia seem to think it’s better to get a GPS tracker on the truck and Ro and your brother want to try Kira’s idea and get the truck while it’s still at the station. 

They’re going back and forth, bickering over who has the best idea when you’ve had enough, “Guys! Why not put it to a vote?” 

They look at you for a moment before nodding. They put it to a vote and it’s tied- Lydia, Ally, Aiden and Scott on one side against Aaric, Ro, Ethan and Kira on the other. 

You’re the tiebreaker…sighing you look at both. Both ideas have their merits but both are also pretty bad. The problem is there’s not enough time to plan anything good. There’s not enough time to recon the way that things work out here.

“What if we did a mix of both?” Ro asks them before you can make a choice. 

Looking around you see the confusion on their faces At the same time you see what Ro was talking about. He picks up the toy car and tells them, “The biggest problem is that we have no idea what roads the truck will take and while yes, the GPS can get us that, there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to block them off. We need to split up, have Allison and one or two of us go to the station. One creates a distraction while Allison and another try to get into the truck. If the distraction isn’t long enough then Ally can throw a tracker on it.”

You nod your head and point out, “You’ll need to have groups of two or three stationed throughout the city,” you point out a couple different spots that could work. “Pay attention to the GPS and be ready to move to stage an accident or go help stage one.” 

“Exactly,” Ro agrees and you all look at the group. 

No one says anything for a moment but then Aly nods her head. “Guys this’ll work. This is going to work- We’re losing Stiles. My dads in jail for murder…” 

“Derek’s in there with him…” Aaric reminds them as well.

“We can do this…” Ally repeats. She sounds more like she’s trying to convince herself in your opinion but it seems to be enough for the group, “we need to do this…”

Malia’s managed to start a fight with Oliver as a part of a distraction. There was a risk that Brunski would put her in the closed ward but she seemed to think that he wouldn’t just yet. 

Oliver has her pinned on the floor and is screaming, “You’re lying! You’re a liar!”

Some of the other patients are surrounding them but no one seems to be willing to get between them or help either one of them. A few of the orderlies run over demanding to know what’s going on. 

“Get this nut job off of me!” Malia groans as the orderlies pull Oliver off of her. 

Oliver continues to scream “NO! She said that they drill holes in your head! She said they’re gonna put a hole in my head!” 

The orderlies manage to get Oliver off Malia and Stiles has moved so that he’s in the perfect place to help her up. As he helps her up he feels her pass the keys she’d managed to lift off of Brunski to him. They both look over and see Oliver smile at them for a second before the orderlies take him and he continues, “No! Please don’t! Come on, please don’t drill a hole in my head, I swear I’ll behave!”

Outside the station, Alexander watched as Araya walked out into the parking lot. She stopped and looked in his direction, the two of them met eye before she nodded her head once in acknowledgment. 

“You have less than a month before my men come for her,” she said from her spot but he heard her. He merely nodded his head in response. Clara would be taken care of by then.

Araya merely got in her car and was driven off by one of her “men.” There was no love lost between the two of them or their families. She was probably the only one that realized that hunters were their own brand of supernatural beings. Though he suspected she said nothing considering the fact that they were all still alive. Human in the most basic sense of the word but each and every one of them felt a pull to their jobs.

They needed to be able to lie to themselves to convince themselves they were something else. Each one of them hunted his kind and other supernatural creatures, not because they thought them a problem but because they needed it deep down.

Walking into the building, he was able to get an audience with Argent, claiming to work for the FBI. 

Argent sat across from him and the tension in the air made his wolf’s hackles rise. Deciding not to let this man bother him he merely stated, “You need to protect him.”

“Who?”

“The boy… Stiles.”

“I’m trying. But why’s it matter to you? He’s just some teenage kid you don’t know. If it weren’t for your daughter you -” Argents face looks like he’s pieced something together and Alexander knows that it’s only a matter of time.

“So it’s true then?” Argent asked him. 

Of all the hunters in the world, only the Calavera’s knew about his family’s history and why they were the way they were. Interestingly enough, they hadn’t told the rest of the hunters from what he could gather. One of them had either told Argent or he’d gotten his hands on enough notes about his family to be able to piece it together on his own. 

“You owe me, Argent,” Alexander growls out. “Do this - keep him alive and we’ll forget about it.”

He watches as his host walks through the hallways. He’s vigilant looking around as he makes his way towards the door but he seems to think he’s gotten away with this little attempt of his and drops it has he tries the keys. 

Perhaps he has gotten away with it but he has a suspicion that the key his host is looking for isn’t actually there. He watches as Stiles tires key after key to no avail.

“Come on,” he hears his host and it seems he’s becoming more and more frustrated. It seems he remembers that he’s supposed to be being careful as he watches him glance over his shoulder before turning back to the door. He’s looked back a moment too soon and missed the burly man turning the corner.

“I thought this guy had the key to everything.”

Brunski grabs his host and turns him around, “I do.”

His host gives the keys up much too easily and Void wonders if that’s something he should address when he gets him back while the older male tells him, “Nobody has a key to that room.”

He’s taking his host down the hall and Void wonders if they’ll sedate him or just put him in solitary. He follows them and is happy to find that his host will be alone. 

“Into the Quiet Room, little man,” they tell him as they force him into a bare cell. The man finds something, on his host and asks where he got them.

“A vending machine,” he responds. It would seem the woman was trying to help keep him away. 

No matter, she won’t be alive much longer anyway. 

“Give him five of the Haldol,” he hears Brusnki tell some of the others and Void watches as his host struggles against them. 

“I can’t - I can’t go to sleep,” he’s saying but the Haldol has already done its job and he’s reaching for the nurse, “You don’t understand- I gotta..” he’s saying but the words are becoming slower, slurred as it seems the sedative takes effect, “You don’t get it. I gotta stay awake.”

Void watches as his host closes his eyes and loses consciousness. Void wastes no time in diving in. 

Kira’s with Scott as they’re getting ready to go meet up with Allison at the station. She looks at Scott and frowns, “My mom tried to kill her you know…”

“No,” Scott denies with a shake of his head, “I’m sure whatever that was… was just some kind of misunderstanding.”

“It doesn’t feel like that. I mean sure, she says she threatened my mom but what kind of person is my mom to…” she trails off, uncomfortable with the thought that her mother had tried to kill her friend. Scott doesn’t respond and he and Kira finish getting ready before heading out. 

Eyes snapping open, Stiles finds himself standing in a locker, he tries to open the door but finds he’s been locked in. 

“No… no…” he murmurs frantically and begins to pound against the door.

“Hey… Hey..”He calls out and his voice carries, “Let me out!” he screams and can hear his voice echoing through the room. 

“Let me out!” He continues to scream, hoping that someone, anyone, will hear him and help him. 

Through the slits of locker, he sees the bandages. Pushing his back against the wall, Stils watches as the body seems to move amongst the lockers. 

“Let me in,” comes the haunting voice. 

Stiles moves so that he can see the creature move, “What… what do you mean?” he asks with a shaky voice. 

“You know,” Voids voice echoes, sending shivers down his spine. 

Stiles shakes his head and leans back against the locker, “Screw you and your stupid riddles.” 

There’s a banging sound as the locker he’s in shakes and Stiles can feel his body being jerked around.

“No riddle this time, Stiles,” Voids saying, “You know what it means.” 

He’s 90%c sure he knows what Void means but he’s not gonna give him control. He’s already hurt someone he cares about and he’s not about to let this asshole hurt anyone else. He can feel tears in his eyes and has to take a breath to try to keep them at bay. 

“Let me out… Just let me out,” Stiles pleads as he bangs his fist against the locker and begs again until he’s screaming, his voice cracking through the air, “Let me out… Just let me out!!!” 

He watches as Voids bandaged body moves impossibly fast and there are silver teeth screaming at him in a demonic voice, “Let me in!” 

Jerking awake, it takes him a moment to realize that he’s no longer in the locker and that Malia is there. There’s something warm about her.. Something that was unexpectedly calming that he didn’t expect. Forcing himself to breathe, he waited until his breathing was steady before he asked her, “How did you get in here?”

“I broke the lock,” she explained as she checked the door before turning back to him, “If I concentrate I can be pretty strong. Get up,” she tells him as she pulls him to his feet. Once he’s steady, she informs him that there’s another way through the basement, they just have to make it through the closed unit.

Theo’s back and you’ve never been so grateful to have him around. Regardless of what your past and future are, Theo became one of your closest friends when the two of you were together. He’d told you that there were some interesting things about Eichen House that he wants to cross-reference but that it doesn’t seem too dangerous. 

“Theo… that’s not all that inspiring… you do know that right?” you question him and he nods his head. 

You glance at the clock, wondering if they’ve been able to get things figured out when you hear Theo ask, “Do you want to go out there?”

Eyes flicking back to his, you scoff, “I can’t do anything. Ro and Aaric would have a fit.” 

“Then don’t do anything,” he says as he leans back on the sofa, “Just sit here and drive yourself insane. Or,” he tells you with that mischievous smirk you know is going to get you exactly what you want without breaking the rules, “Just go watch. We don’t have to do anything but observe and if something happens then I can step in and you can hang back that way you don’t get into trouble,”

You both know that if you go and there is trouble, there’s no way that you’re just going to hang back and let others get hurt. 

Stiles follows Malia into the basement and it’s exactly as he had seen it in his vision. His gaze falls on the kanji and he knows what it means. Voids already given him the information to that one. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he makes his way towards the kanji when Malia asks, So, what are we looking for?”

“Something to do with that,” he says as he points out the etching to her. 

The two of them make their way over to it and Malia runs her hands across the symbol. She turns to look up at him, “What does it mean?”

“Self,” he says with a scoff. How exactly that’s supposed to mean anything to him he has no idea but he tells her anyway. 

“Maybe you should tell me more?” she questions. It sounds like she genuinely wants to help but if she knows the whole story, “you won’t like me very much.”

She reminds him that she’s a werecoyote who murdered her own family and that she won’t judge him. It’s a strange relief to hear that and so he nods his head. 

Sighing, he runs through his hands through his hair before he starts. He tells her about the sacrifices, the nightmares that were only too real, about the missing time, the hospital, Coach, the bus, the station and about how he’d stabbed her… how he was sure that if she did live, she would never want anything to do with him ever again.

You and Theo pull up to the sheriff’s station and can hear the sounds of a fight in the alleyway. You see a large, slightly terrifying man, throwing Scott around like a rag doll. He’s leaning over Scott and you go to try and run after him when you feel Theo’s arms across your waist, “Cariña, you cannot take him on. He will literally tear you apart.”

You’re about to respond to Theo when the sound of four roars catches your attention. Looking around, you see that the twins and your brothers have arrived to help apparently. They’re going after the large man and somehow the twins and Ro are knocked down. It leaves just Aaric and the large man fighting. 

Aaric is able to get the man on his knees and is about to claw out his throat when Scott and Lydia yell for him to stop. He keeps his hand in the air but you can hear him bite out to Scott, “If you let him live, he will come after you. His friends will come after you. He’s Yakuza by the looks of him, they’re dangerous.”

“So are we,” Scott tells your brother and Aaric just scoffs. 

“Not nearly as dangerous as you think,” he moves to kill the man but is interrupted when Scott grabs his arm. 

“He’s in my territory, under my protection.”

Aaric looks at Scott and then back at the man before throwing him down. 

“Make no mistake Scott McCall, any blood this man sheds is on your hands,” Aaric criticized him. 

Scott moved passed your brother and pulled something out of the man’s shirt pocket. Lifting something in the air, you figure they got what they needed. 

“Yakuza… I told Isaac it wouldn’t end well…” you pointed out before turning to look at Theo. There’s a silent communication between the two of you, a silent understanding that things will be fixed and he will be the one to see to it. 

“We need to go,” you tell him and he nods, Getting back in his truck, you make your way back towards Derek’s loft when she tells you, Eichen House… You tell Theo who doesn’t look happy about it but takes you anyways. 

You’re looking at the building and something tells you that you need to be here for now. Somethings happening… 

You have no idea what use you could be when you can’t even get into the building but you and Theo both shift into your canine forms and move to the hedges where you and your brothers had been the day before. 

Stiles and Malia haven’t found a damn thing yet. They’ve gone through boxes upon boxes and while they were able to find out this place used to use some very questionable, methods to get things done, there was nothing that could help them with Void. 

Throwing the papers he has in his hand down, he asks Malia to check the figure on his back and she informs him that the lines are almost gone. He stiffens and feels dread rush through his body. 

“I’m guessing that’s bad,” Malia says as she apparently catches on to it. 

He nods his head and when her fingers touch his skin he jumps at the iciness. 

“Sorry…” she apologizes as she moves her hands away, “I told you, I’m always cold.”

After the warmth she’d brought him, he doesn’t like the idea of her being cold and reach out for her hands, “Here.” Taking both her hands in his, he realizes that she really is freezing and tells her as much. They share a chuckle and a silence falls amongst them. 

He turns to her and before he realizes it, her lips are pressed against his. 

You’re not sure how long you and Theo are out there but there’s a comfortable silence between the two of you. You’d sifted through the different scents you could make out until you could kind of make out Stiles. 

Trying to pay attention to him, you’d noticed the frustration he must have been feeling and wondered what exactly it was that was frustrating him. Suddenly, the scent changed to lust and you tried to force a sneeze to clear your nose. 

Standing up, you made your way closer to the gates and took a deeper breath, a whine escaped you at the scent you found. 

Moving back across the street you looked at Theo who’s face only showed confusion and sorrow. Sitting next to him, you motioned to his truck and he nodded his head. Shifting back to your human form, you threw on his leather jacket and allowed the scent to fill your nose, chasing the scent of lust and orgasm away.


	40. Chapter 40

She had been here. His host’s mate knew he’d been with the coyote and she didn’t like it.

Void had been around for a thousand years and his kind had been around even longer, tricksters had long ago figured out the secret of the Ragnulf’s and families like theirs. Though, so far as he knew, this was the only family that had managed to piss off a goddess and change the way it worked.

He’d suspected it when he had noticed his host’s body seemed to be acutely aware of her presence. Something that made had confused his host. He’d tested it when he’d shown him images of her body, torn apart and left for dead and again, when he showed him the girl as the predator she could become, a child’s stolen life flowing from her. The first test gave him the access he’d needed at the hospital. The second one had solidified his suspicions when his host had fought against what he’d been shown.

Had his host been fully supernatural he may have realized it himself. He hadn’t been completely sure she had recognized it but the way her scent had soured confirmed it for him. His host was her True Mate and not just some school crush. 

He’d not been the reason for the boy’s choice to bed the coyote but he was going to relish in the sorrow it caused his True Mate. They had already run a sword through the girl. Choosing another female - well that didn’t even need to have a supernatural reason to hurt. 

Making his way through the halls, Void couldn’t help the giddiness as he went in search of the boy, Oliver. 

The girl in his arms felt- off… somehow. Stiles hadn’t been with anyone else physically but there was something about being here that left him unsettled. 

It was an underlying feeling warring with a feeling of contentment. Malia had been there for him and helped during the last few days of crazy and she was an attractive girl. Looking at the girl in his arms he watched the softness of her features before she stirred and turned to look at him. She leaned in and he returned the quick kiss before she turned her body.

Somehow that kiss bothered him. It was like her lips felt wrong against his and he didn’t know why.

Without him realizing it, she was getting up and drawing his attention to the wall where the kanji was. Getting up, he followed her and ran his fingers along the grooves that made up the symbol while Malia knocked on the wall. 

There’s an echoing sound indicating the hollowness of the place in the wall. 

“Do you hear that?”

She nods her head and Stiles looks around before finding a metal rod that looks pretty sturdy. Telling Malia to move out of the way he takes the rod to the wall and is surprised to find that it gives way. 

He uses the rod and continues to knock down the wall. He’s able to get a decent-sized hole in before he steps back and lets the dust settle. Once it does, they’re treated to the sight of a bandaged body-

Void. 

“This is him,” he tells Malia and when she clarifies that he does, in fact, mean the Nogtisune. The body is covered in dust and webs and he knows it makes no sense that Void would be here but he is. Stiles would know that bandaged body anywhere at this point. Nodding his head, confirming for Malia, he notices the black sheath but before he can reach in, Malia’s already begun checking the body. 

She pulls something from a pocket and looks at it before handing it to him, “Recognize them?”

Taking the paper from her, he’s faced with a photo that has someone who looks suspiciously, a lot like Kira. 

“One of them,” he tells Malia. He’d been right, whatever Kira is she isn’t completely safe. “I need to get this to Scott,” he tells her as he stands up. 

There’s a crackling sound that catches his attention and he turns to check it out but before he can make heads or tails of it his body is spasming in response to a jolt of electricity running through it. Gasping, he feels himself fall to the floor and sees “Oliver?”

“You took Brunski’s keys,” Oliver reminds him, his voice was dark and slightly hysterical, “I took his stun gun.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Malia move towards Oliver but he’s pressed the stun gun into her stomach before she can really do anything and he holds it there until she’s on the ground as well. 

Stiles watches as Oliver kneels next to Malia and looks at her almost affectionately before the boys brown eyes turn back to him, “I also got his Haldol.”

Void watches as the boy, Oliver shows his host a needle before pressing it into Malia’s thigh. Almost immediately, the girls body slumps forward and the curly-haired boy is walking towards his host, “Like I was saying Stiles- I heard they used to do trepanation here.” 

His host does not notice him. He is too focused on Oliver and asking what he plans to do. Void can taste the fear emanating from his host’s body and licks his lips. 

“I’m going to let the evil spirits out,” Oliver’s telling his host. 

At some point, his host loses consciousness and Void tells the boy, “Tie them up Oliver.”

You’re staring out the window of Theo’s truck, watching the buildings go by in quick succession. They all seem to blur together and you’re trying to just focus on the scent of the leather and pine that you’re currently wrapped in.

We could kill her, she offers and it’s more of a demand than it is an offer or a suggestion.

I don’t think that would go over too well with anyone. 

She could have hurt him. 

Pretty sure there was no scent of pain attached to either of them. 

He’s ours.

He’s allowed to make his own choices… you remind her, We never wanted this… we wanted to be chosen for who we are.

She remains silent and you lean your head against the window when you feel the truck come to a stop. Looking up, you see trees outside the window where there had been buildings and light posts. 

“Theo?” you question the boy, he’s parked in a clearing in the preserve that gives you a great view of not only the city but of the stars above.

“You’re in pain… I’m not sure which one of those scents was Stiles or what it was he did that hurt you but, I figure we could stargaze for a little while. It used to always make you happy,” he explains. 

Offering a small smile you lean over and cup one side of his face and kiss the other cheek. 

“It’s just some stupid crush… but… thank you,” you whisper as you pull away from him. He holds onto your wrist and kisses the inside of your palm but doesn’t say anything before letting your hand go. He gets off the car and comes to the passenger side before opening the door for you and helping you get off the truck. 

Stiles and Theo were the only non-family members that held doors for you because they wanted to. Your father’s men and pack did it because it was a show of respect to your father. The fact that Theo still did it, even after you’d broken up, made you feel like someone other than just family cared

It took a second to get situated, but you and Theo found yourselves on the hood of his truck and started pointing out the different constellations. Listening to him and the way his voice wrapped around each word.

Sometimes you’d tell him to shush, that the stars were just meant to be basked in, much like the moon. But sometimes, you needed him to talk and today was one of those days. You allowed yourself to focus on just that and get lost in the sound of his voice.

You weren’t even paying attention when there was a pressure on your hand. Looking down, you saw Theo’s hand intertwined with yours as he held on tight. 

“Theo…” you begin but he shakes his head and lifts your hands to his lips. 

“Cariña, you are the most passionate person I have ever met. You’re fiercely loyal, stubbornly independent, you are kind and compassionate until it is time for you to be ruthless. You’re protective and caring,” he tells you and you close your eyes, allowing him his words to fall over the two of you as he continues, “You love deeper than I think people are actually capable of. If someone can’t see that, then it’s their loss. If you really care about him, just let him get to know you.”

You have to let out a soft sigh, “Theo it’s not that…” you begin but really, what can you say?

“Look, cariña, I’ve known you and your family for years. I get that there’s more going on here but I’m serious. If you’re actually into Stilinski then let him get to know you. Once he gets to really know you, he won’t be able to help falling for you.”

You don’t believe him at the moment, so with a shaking voice, you ask him how he could be so sure.

He cups your face in both hands and tilts your head so that you’re looking directly at each other. “Because you’ve always been the only choice,” he whispers and kisses your forehead but doesn’t say anything else before letting go of you and moving so that he’s on his back, looking at the stars. 

Eyes snapping open, Stiles’ eyes tried to adjust and slowly Oliver’s face came into view. The reminder of what had happened floods him and Stiles tries to move away only to find that he’s tied down. 

“I borrowed a few pointers from the five-point restraint,” Oliver informs him as he looks down at the shackles. 

Pulling at the shackles, he realizes that he really is tied in pretty snugly.

“Oliver, stop this.”

Oliver doesn’t respond but instead ends up coughing. It’s the same cough from the morning when he’d told Stiles about the bug he’d swallowed. A moment later, Olivers coughed up the bug he swallowed along with a small amount of blood.

“Oliver,” Stiles tries,” listen to me. Stop!” 

The boy doesn’t listen but instead seems to get closer to Stiles with the drill. Leaning as far away from the drill, he watches as Oliver moves the drill closer to his head. 

“Start with her.” 

Stiles eyes dart around trying to find him. Once Oliver moves, he sees the very creature, Void. Sitting on the other side of the room, Void looks over to him and realization washes over Stiles. 

“You did this,” he whispers and his voice is laced with terror, “You got into his head.”

“Every Dracula needs a Renfield,” Void responds as he turns his gaze towards Oliver. 

Seeing Oliver tying down arms, Stile realizes that they’re going to go after Malia. She looks like she’s passed out and he begs Void, “Just let her go.”

“Let me in,” Void counters and Stiles fights against his binds again. He can see Void walking towards him as he calls out his name, “Do you want her to leave here alive? Do you want us to leave? We can walk out of this place.”

“Just let her go, please…” Stiles tries again. 

“Let me in,” he hears the voice next to his ear and he fights against the screams in frustration. “Let me in Stiles… Let me in.”

He looks over to Oliver but the girl in the chair isn’t Malia. It’s Natasha… She’s not awake, though, and Olivers started the drill. 

“Let her go!”

“We can go see her Stiles. She’s alive Stiles.” Void tries as he walks closer and Stiles freezes. Void takes the opportunity, “Let me in and I’ll let her live… I’ll let this one live.” 

Natasha transforms into Malia and Stiles can feel the tears falling down his face. He closes his eyes but Voids showing him Malia and Natasha with holes in their heads, blank faces in their death. 

The voice of the raven comes back to him, She needs you Stiles…. Save her Stiles

He can’t do that here though. He can’t do anything from here. 

“She needs you Stiles. Save her Stiles.” Void mocks and then all Stiles can hear is Natasha screaming and the sound of whirring. 

“No!!” he screams out in desperation.

“Save her Stiles!” Void screams back and her screams become louder in his head. She’s screaming for his help and Stiles can’t take it anymore. 

Victorious.

Void steps in and can feel the power surging through his host’s body. The sound of the whirring drill catches his attention and calls Oliver’s name. 

He watches as the boy steps away from the prone body of the girl and Void breaks the bindings he was in. Rubbing his arms he walks over towards the whimpering boy. 

Taking the drill from the boy, Void quickly smashed it into the side of his head. Hard enough to leave him unconscious. Oliver had been of some use and for that, he would get to live. 

Setting the drill down, he hears Malia call for Stiles and turns to smile at her before walking out. 

The scent of mountains and pine trees layered with the quintessential scent of Theo fills your nose as the two of you walk into the loft.

Scotts here with your brothers and you don’t like the scents. Anxious. Frustrated. Nervous. None of the scents are pleasing but your brothers’ anger and worry are overlaid upon them as well. 

Before anyone can get anything out, you ask “What did the scroll say?” 

You’re not sure what everyone in the room hears in your voice or sees on your face but it’s silent and you feel everyone’s eyes on you and you pull your shoulders back. 

“Ylfa-“ 

“Save it…” you cut him off and this time you make sure your voice is controlled before demanding, “What did the scroll say.”

Scott’s the one that answers you, “Deaton said one way to expel the Nogitsune is to change the body of the host.” 

“How good is Deaton’s Japanese?” you question, not at all a fan of the vague answers the good Doctor has given in the base. 

Scott’s sigh carries the weight of the world in it, “He says it’s not great.”

You turn to Ro and Theo, “Akimi and Asuka?” 

Ro’s the one that shakes his head, “Still in hiding from what we can gather.”

“Can we get this to anyone who reads and understands Japanese without actually tipping them off?”

No one has an answer for you and you can feel a low growl building in your chest. You make your way to the kitchen and work through the steps of making tea. 

You’re pouring the water when Scott comes over, “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

“Yeah Scott, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Once you’ve heard his bike take off you turn to your brothers, “I’m keeping Theo tonight.”


	41. Chapter 41

You found yourself on the terrace again, feet tucked under you and leaning against Ro. Sleep hadn’t come easy to you last night, even with Theo’s scent so close - though it was calming and had helped some, it hadn’t been enough. Trying to keep the tears from falling you focus on breathing in the scent of your morning coffee when your brother shifts and his arms are around you. You can feel him press a kiss to your head before he pulls back, “What’s going on Ylfa?”

You don’t say a word but merely burrow further into him, allowing his presence to chase away some of the pain. Your family and Theo are bound to be the safest places to be right now. 

Misinterpreting your worry, Ro squeezes you tightly and tries to reassure you, “Look, we’re going to save him. We won’t give up and you’re new friends - his friends- well they don’t seem like the kind that give up either. His Alpha, in particular, seems hell-bent on saving the boy.”

“It’s not that Ro…” you sigh as you pull away from him and turn to look at him. “He was… umm,” you’re throats dry and you lick your lips like that’s gonna help anything. Clearing your throat you try again, “He was… with… someone last night.” 

You’d stressed the word to try and get your point across without having to actually say the words. It takes him a second to get it but when he does, you watch as your brothers back stiffens and his face darkens. Thankfully, the door opens and Aaric walks out.

Your oldest brother heads over to you and is about to hug you when Ro seems to find his voice, “It would seem she kept Theo last night because her mate was screwing the night away in some cunt”

There’s a displeased growl in Aarics chest that you can feel even at your current distance but he controls himself quick enough and scolds his brother, “Rogelio.” 

“What?” the younger one challenges and, as inappropriate as it is, you can’t help but laugh.

They look at you like you’ve lost your mind and you just shake your head, “God I’ve missed the two of you!” 

“Is it true?” Aaric asks and you give him a single nod. The three of you fall silent as the realization of what this means occurs to you. 

“Ylfa,” Aaric calls, dragging your attention to him, “You’re both still teenagers, he hasn’t rejected you.”

“Isn’t that exactly what he’s done?” you question, your voice low, unsteady. 

“Trust me, most of us are still changing, trying to figure out who we are. Besides, if it had been a true rejection, the bonds would be gone,” he encourages you, pulling you into his arms. 

Taking a moment, you focus on the world around you and realize that you can still feel the bonds. One, in particular, is new and stronger than the rest. Currently, the bond feels a bit smug and you’re sure that if you were to follow it, you’d find Stiles at the other end but seeing as the smugness probably has something to do with last night, you don’t particularly feel like delving too much into it. 

“Guys,” your father’s voice interrupts and you turn to see the man holding the door to the loft open, looking you expectantly.

Once you’re in the loft, the three of you get situated with Theo and your dad. 

“I need to get back home,” your dad says and you can hear the frustration in his voice. Putting your hand on his arm he smiles at you reassuringly before continuing. “Araya and her men are moving in, they’re apparently waiting for the end of the month and then they’re gonna go after Clara. Theo and Rogelio both of you will be going with me. I leave in two hours but the two of you have twenty-four hours from now to follow. Alaric, you will stay with your sister and help her and her friends get the boy through this. Argent is going to help you.”

You can taste the way that both Ro and Theo want to argue and you don’t like it any more than they do but your dad’s in full Alpha mode and so there’s no option but to fall in line. These are commands, no options. You’re instructed to listen to your older brother, he is the Alpha. 

“Anything off-limits?” you hear Alaric ask. 

Your dads silent for a moment before he shakes his head, “Listen to Scott McCall but remember that he is not your Alpha. He stands beside you and you will respect him. As his pack stands behind him, his pack stands behind you and you will protect them as best you can but your sister and her mate are your priority.” Turning his attention to Theo, he asks “What did you learn about Eichen?”

Theo pulls out a manilla folder and starts pulling out some different items, one of which is a map. “It sits on a bunch of ley lines which is interesting but I haven’t been able to figure out if it means something specific,” he says as he points out where the building is situated, “I’m trying to figure out who commissioned the building but those records are proving a little bit difficult to trace. I’m not sure it’s really anything but Eichen was a military hospital during World War II, most of the patients came from Oak Creek-”

“Wait…Allison had gotten a voicemail about Oak Creek but she said Mr. Yukimura said it didn’t exist… that it was some kind of hoax?” 

“I don’t think it was,” Theo says as he goes through the folders and pulls out some papers and pictures, “the hospital records reference Oak Creek time and time again for patients. Almost everyone they saw was from there but there seems to be no record of Oak Creek itself. And then the records just stop from August of 1943 - July 1945.”

You ask what had happened during that time but Theo shakes his head, “I don’t think it’s what happened during that time that’s the important part Cariña, I think it’s what happened right before. There was some kind of epidemic at the hospital. There was an insane surge of people getting sick but it looked like it was a domino effect kind of thing and for some reason, the Doctor in charge of the hospital, Doctor Cox, never upped their medicine orders.”

“Theo, you said it yourself, it was a military hospital in World War II, they probably didn’t have enough money,” Ro pointed out. 

“But that’s just it. I went digging a little further back and under a Doctor Howo, whenever the hospital would need something he would put the request in regardless of whether or not he’d be told no.”

You continued to sip on your coffee as Theo and your brothers go back and forth on the merits of what could be at Eichen. Personally, you think Doctor Cox was likely someone who shouldn’t have ever been a doctor, to begin with and Doctor Howo seemed to actually care. You’re all going through the paperwork Theo had managed to scrounge up together on short notice when Ro’s voice stops you.

“Wait, isn’t this the kitsune who was here the other day?” 

Grabbing the picture from him you see a picture of a group of people, one of which could be Kira’s face, “That can’t be… I don’t think Kira even knew she had any powers until the last few weeks.”

“It’s from December of 1942.”

“When the first camps opened…” you whispered. It occurred to you that it was likely not Kira in the picture but it did mean her family was involved. Turning to Aaric you say, “we need to go see Mr. Yukimura.”

Do you know why I was called here Stiles? Void asks as he makes his way through the hallways. He’s looking for Noshikos mate and can feel him in the building. 

When Stiles remains silent, Void sighs and makes his way towards the older man’s presence and is unsurprised when he hears the slamming of a book. 

“Coming in on a Saturday… Now that’s dedication,” Void says as he enters the classroom. He can hear the man’s heartbeat change and the tension fill the room. 

“Where’s she hiding them?” he questions the man. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the man replies and Void chuckles. 

“I have to hand it to you…You’re good.” he points out to the man before turning back to the shelves behind him, “But you’re not that good. I want her little knives. Daggers. However you want to describe them.” He’s pulled books down from the shelving. 

“I know what they are. Physical representations of her tails,” he scoffs and can hear the man’s heartbeat pick up. Throwing the book in his hands down, Void turns to the front of the room and makes his way forward, “however the hell that works.”

“Maybe you’d like to do some reading on it,” the man deflects, “I can direct you to the section on Japanese myth in the library.”

“Oh, so your wife’s a myth now?” When the man says nothing, Void smirks, “See- I’d like to talk to you.” 

He makes his way up to the front of the classroom, “The older the tail, the stronger the Oni. I know there’s one left. I know it’s her strongest.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

Tsking, Void reaches towards the book at the edge of the desk, “You’ll talk.”

Lifting the bok up, one of his flies enters her mates throat before he can react and the man is choking. Smirking, he reaches over the man, “They always talk. Because you see, what I know is that a fox who has to manifest their tails isn’t in complete control. They’re weak.”

Now Stiles, let me tell you a story…

Alaric pulls up outside of the Yukimura house. As he gets off the car, the Alpha and the kitsune are rushing out. Scott, however, must catch sight of the other wolf because he’s stopping in his tracks, “What happened? Is Natasha okay?”

“She’s fine,” Alaric clarifies, “I was looking for Mr. Yukimura.”

“He’s at the school but now might not be the best time” Scott informs him when the kitsune calls Scott’s name. “We gotta go.”

There’s a terror in the girl’s voice that Alaric must hear because he tells them to get in the car and instantly, they’re on the road. Pulling up to the school, the three are out and running towards the History classroom and Kira hands a vial to her mother. 

“Reishi,” the older woman clarifies when Kira asks what’s in the vile. 

“You’re seriously be giving Dad magic mushrooms?” Kira asks and the disbelief clouding her voice does not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. 

Alaric chuckles and shakes his head but doesn’t say anything as her mother shoves some of the Reishi down her husband’s throat who starts coughing and wheezing as soon as the fungus is down his throat. He ends up coughing something up black liquid and soon enough his wife is helping him up. 

“Are you okay?” she asks him as he struggles to stand. When the man loses his balance and almost falls back down, Alaric reaches out and helps to steady him. 

Once the man is leaning against the desk, Alaric asks, “The boy did this?”

“Stiles. His name is Stiles,” Scott corrects him as Mr. Yukimura nods his head. 

Noshiko turns towards Alaric, “He wanted the last Kaiken,” she informs him before sneering at Scott while pulling out the very item, “I’ve kept this near me ever since your friend disappeared.”

“Watch it,” comes Alarics voice, low and deadly. 

Kira asks for all the information but her mother says nothing. Alaric pulls out the photo they’d found earlier and hands it to the woman. She merely looks at the picture before glancing back at him with pursed lips. It would seem, she has no intention of sharing her story. However, Scott pulls out a picture and holds it out. 

Noshiko reaches out for the picture from Scott and when she sees what it is, the color drains from her face, “Where did you get this?”

“Is it grandma?” Kira asks. 

“It’s you, isn’t it?” Alaric asks and, slowly, Noshiko nods. 

“If that’s you then you’d have to be like 90 years old,” Scott points out and he sounds like it’s impossible to believe. 

“Closer to 900,” she points out as she meets Alaric’s gaze. There’s a warning there that no one misses but Alaricmakes no acknowledgment of it so, she growls out, “You and your family don’t scare me.”

“Really now?” Alaric challenges “Is that why you tried to kill her?” 

“Perhaps she should be careful who she threatens in the future,” the woman says calmly. 

Alaric steps forward but before he can say anything, Kira interrupts, “Can we not?!”

She turns to look at her mother and shakes her head, “You almost killed her! You do understand that right?! You had no right!”

Noshiko looks unbothered at her daughter’s accusations like it doesn’t even bother her. Turning to her father, Kira asks him about his age and it would seem that he, at least, is more human than not.

Holding her hand out expectantly, Noshiko waits for the sheath which Kira, reluctantly, hands over. Noshiko opens the sheath over the desk, only for broken pieces of a katana to fall out. 

“The blade was shattered the last time it was used,” she says as she begins to pick up the pieces. When Kira asks when that was she responds that it was against a Nogitsune in 1943. 

“Wait, you’re saying all this… It’s happened before?” Scott questions and Alaric scoffs.

“1943 is when Eichen House had their outbreak and then had to do a lot of rebuilding. Did you have something to do with that?” Alaric asks the woman but she doesn’t say anything. 

He offers a low growl, this woman is the reason that his sister may suffer. The reason her mate may suffer. 

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” Mr. Yukimura provides and Alaric shakes his head. 

“That answers nothing,” Alaric points out at the same time that Kira asks where the Nogitsune came from. 

“It was an internment camp during World War II. In Oak Creek, not too far from here.” 

“Wait,” Scott interrupts, “You told Isaac and Allison that there was no Oak Creek,” Scott accuses Mr. Yukimura.

“Allison’s family has a certain, history of violence,” Mr. Yukimura points out, “I didn’t know if she could be trusted. There was a camp, yes.”

Scotts offended but Alaric cuts in before the young Alpha can antagonize the kitsune or her mate further, “So then why are records so damn difficult to find?”

“They destroyed all the records. They covered it up,” she provides vaguely. 

“What were they trying to cover up and how does it tie in with the Nogitsune?” 

“And where did it come from?” Kira adds. 

“Isn’t it obvious yet?” Kira’s mom asks like she doesn’t understand what it is the rest of them are missing.

“Obviously not, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Alaric snaps at the older woman who growls at him. 

“It came from me.”

The room falls silent and the three younger ones: Alaric, Kira, and Scott, don’t know what they had expected to hear but it definitely hadn’t been that. 

Noshiko is working with the blade pieces when she begins her story, she tells them of how after Pearl Harbor it was less than three months before President Roosevelt had signed off on the internment camps. She had been relocated to the one in Oak Creek almost immediately. 

They had been there for the majority of World War II and had learned to live alongside the day to day military operations. Children were growing up in the camps and people tried their best. At first, things were as okay as they could be for being prisoners. But near the end, she and a few friends had noticed that they never seemed to have enough of anything. 

Their food rations were cut almost in half, There was never enough food. Slowly, they started taking things from the delivery trucks that would come in. It wasn’t meant to be malicious, they were just trying to take care of those around them. 

Whenever available, Noshiko tried to pick something up for the children. She’d thought nothing of it at the time. After all, the MP’s were mostly a bunch of grunts, she didn’t think they’d even notice. But, eventually, they came to the bunks. 

She must have felt like she wasn’t moving fast enough because she stopped her story and addressed her daughter, “Kira, I need your help on this. There isn’t much time and this is something that needs to be done in the daylight.”

Alaric wants to argue with them but, thankfully, Kira shakes her head, “Not until you tell us everything.”

Alaric smiles at Kira, grateful that she seems to be more interested in getting the information they need to save the boy. 

“Tell them, Noshiko,” Mr. Yukimura says, “Tell them what they need to know.”

“No, tell us everything,” Alaric demands. In order for them to be able to save the boy, they need all the story not just what she deems important, “Don’t make an enemy of us.”

Noshiko looks at Alaric then Scott before she sneers, “Wolves and foxes tend not to get along. Not just in fables and stories.”

“Allies, however unlikely, should be welcomed,” her husband challenges and there’s a hint of frustration in his voice, “Especially in times of war.”

Noshiko looks at her husband as if she’s betrayed him in some way before slamming a piece of the katana on the desk.


	42. Chapter 42

You walk into the sheriff’s station on your own. You’re tired and irritable, you haven’t slept your mate is possessed and locked up in some asylum, your father and brother are leaving, Theo’s leaving… you’re only barely paying attention when you collide with someone. Trying to catch your balance you look up to see the Sheriff, “You’re back!”

“Yeah,” he smiles at you but it’s forced and you reach out squeezing his arm reassuringly. He offers you a sad smile before telling you to go wait in his office. 

Nodding your head, you watch as he heads into one of the side rooms before making your way over to his office, you try to pay attention to what’s going on in there. 

“This property belongs to me and the charges were dropped,” you hear Argent telling someone before his voice drops, “Although I’m not exactly sure who’s responsible for that.”

“I am,” you hear the Sheriff cut in before he addresses Parish. 

Parish doesn’t sound like he’s too happy to be giving Argent back his electric baton, referring to it as a lightsaber. Thankfully, Sheriff takes over the situation and soon enough you’re all in the Sheriff’s office and he wastes no time, “The specialist I saw in LA told me the thing that every doctor says when he’s trying to avoid a lawsuit, ‘we can’t say for sure.’” 

He starts pulling out scans from a medical file, “Then I spoke with Melissa. These are brain scans. My wife’s and Stiles’.”

He hands them both to you, overlayed and you look down before you can put them flush against each other, it occurs to you what you’re seeing and you mutter, “that’s not possible.”

“I knew they were similar but those are the same,” Noah confirms for you, “They’re exactly the same.”

Derek’s looking over your shoulder at the scans before he asks Noah, “I’m guessing this isn’t possible?”

“Not even remotely.”

“So the trickster is still playing tricks,” Argent surmises as he puts the scans down on the desk. 

It occurs to you that there are a thousand different tricks that the Nogitsune could be playing so you ask them, “Why this trick?” 

Sighing, Noah looks at the three of you, “When I was in the Army, one of my officers told me, ‘If you want to defeat your enemy, you don’t take away their courage-’”

“You take away their hope,” you whisper. It’s a lesson that your family had been taught. It was cruel, you wouldn’t deny that, but when your family went to war you were ruthless. 

Noah nods at you, a look of surprise on his face that you knew that. 

“You don’t look like a man who gives up hope easily,” Argent points out and Noah nods his head. 

“I don’t- but Stiles might,” Noah says and you can feel Derek’s hand on your shoulder as he squeezes reassuringly whole Noah continues, “IF this thing inside him - If it’s using his mother’s disease as some sort of psychological trick, then this isn’t just a fight for his body. It’s also a fight for his mind - right?”

“So how do we save him?” Argent asks and you hear Noah sigh before answering. 

“I don’t know but I do know we need to get him first,” Noah shakes his head. 

“You do realize that he’s left people severely injured,” Derek points out and you turn to glare at him. When he notices you, he shakes his head and growls at you “Don’t you give me that look Little One - Emerald Wolfsbane. Remember that?”

The room falls silent and your hands twitch in the effort not to punch your cousin and you grit your teeth as you hear Argent’s intake of breath. Derek looks pissed and Argent looks shocked and in this moment you would like nothing more than to smack your cousin, but you need him. 

“What’s Emerald Wolfsbane?” Noah’s voice interrupts the silence and you turn to him and shake your head.

“It’s a deadly form,” Derek begins but you cut him off. 

“It doesn’t matter what it is. It wasn’t Stiles. My money’s on Noshiko being the problem behind the wolfsbane,” you growl, “Even it had been Stiles’ body it wasn’t Stiles, it was the Nogitsune.”

“Natasha-” Derek begins only to be stopped by your forceful, “No!”

Noah clears his throat and share a look with Derek - this isn’t about you, this is about Stiles and you will save him. 

“I need your help. I need people who are experienced with this kind of thing,” Noah’s voice is just short of begging, desperate in his request, “I need you to help me stop him.”

“Then we need to trap him,” Argent consented and you all nodded. Argent looks at you and tells you to call Allison, tell her to get together the non-lethal items they have. 

You nod your head and tell them you’ll meet them at the Argents apartment. Making your way outside, you call your friend and ask her for her help. Getting to your bike, you realize that you’d forgotten your keys and would have to go back to the office to get them. 

As you walk forward, you overhear your mother’s name. Stopping with your hand on the handle, you wait to hear if they’re going to say anything else. 

“Wait what about Ellie?” you hear Derek ask, his voice is low- like he doesn’t want to actually ask the question. 

You can hear Argent’s heavy sigh before he responds and your heart feels like it’s lodged itself in your throat, “Victoria was the one who okayed Elins death.”

You don’t even know how it happened but the door to the opened and three pairs of eyes turn to you but you shake your head. 

Noah’s eyes are full of sorrow and sympathy. Dereks are full of shock and anger and Argent - Argent looks like he’s ashamed. They all know you heard and you clear your throat, “I forgot my keys,” you whisper.

Entering the room, you cross to the desk and pick up your keys. No one says anything and you feel like you can’t breathe the longer that you’re in there. Crossing back to the door, Argent calls your name. 

It sounds like he hates himself and you’re torn. You had made peace with your mother’s death a long time ago and so to hear that she’d been executed and executed by a friends mother… you considered to be a friend… well you weren’t sure how you were supposed to feel about that. 

Turning to Argent, you inform him, “you know… I was 7 when she died…”


	43. Chapter 43

Noshiko seems to be annoyed that she has to share her story with them but she listened to her mate and so Kira, Scott, and Alaric all listened as Noshiko told her story. 

  
Apparently, part of the reason she hadn’t been that worried about getting caught was because she had someone looking out for her. She’d managed to somehow, start a relationship with one of the medics, a Corporal Rhys.

Corporal Rhys had been in charge of hospital inventory and that quickly, 

At first, she hadn’t told him about taking anything off the trucks at first but he’d begun to suspect one of the other bunks and she believed him to care about her enough that she told him. It had been a gamble but it paid off as Rhys turned a mostly blind eye. 

Noshiko tells them of how, not long before the end, Rhys had been worried about the things that had been taken. He began telling her more often to be careful but she had thought him too paranoid.

“Enough,” Alaric growled, “you’re stalling.” 

“And we don’t wanna hear your Casablanca story,” Kira tells her while Scott reminds that they want to know how to save the boy. 

Scott’s face changes, like something, occurs to him and he asks, “when the sun goes down, the Oni are gonna come after him again, aren’t they?” 

“Your friends gone, Scott,” Noshiko tries to point out but Scott shakes his head. 

“I don’t think you know that - not for sure.”

“You brought your Oni here,” Alaric reminds her, “You need to call them off.”

Noshiko merely ignores Alaric and addresses Scott, “It’s not your fault. Stiles maybe your best friend. He may even be a brother to you but he is Nogitsune now. He is Void”

“Can you call them off?” Scott questions her, ignoring the rest of her comments.

“Noshiko,” Alaric calls when the woman says nothing “You need to call them off.” 

She turned to glare at the man and shook her head, “When you hear the rest of the story, you won’t want me to.” 

“Look, I’m not particularly interested in the story. The only thing I want to know is how to separate the Nogitsune from the boy. Once that’s done you can hunt down the Nogitsune for all I care.”

Noshiko and Alaric stared at each other for a minute before she tilted her head, “Why is the boy so important to you?” 

Alaric didn’t say a word but there was a look in Noshiko’s eye. It looked almost like she was trying to figure out something. 

Making your way through the city, you’re sure that Noah, Argent, and Derek aren’t too far behind you but you don’t dare look back. 

**_You know we’re going to have to do something about it,_** she tells you and you can hear the anger. 

_No,_ you tell her. Her first instinct - your first instinct - is to rip Argent apart but, _Allison doesn’t need to suffer and besides - his wife’s already dead._

**_He killed mom_ **

_No, Victoria did and she’s dead now._

**_You heard him Victoria only okayed mom’s death. That doesn’t mean she’s the one that actually killed her._ **

_Doesn’t mean Argent was either._

**_Please! You don’t believe that and you know it. Hunters are matriarchal societies but he was still her mate… he would have made sure what she wanted was done._ **

You’re silent for a minute, she’s not wrong and you’re pretty sure that Argent would have at least had a major role in your mother’s death… 

Pulling up to the Argents loft, you get off your bike and make your way up to their apartments. Ally lets you in and tells you to grab something from her dad’s office.

Looking down, you see a few different ropes, chains, zip-ties hand-cuffs, pepper spray and some tasers you shake your head, “Is this all?”

“It’s everything non-lethal I could find,” Allison says and you nod your head. She looks like she’s worried and goes to say something else when a voice interrupts you.

“Take all of it,” comes Argents voice and you try not to stiffen while she fights to at least be allowed to growl at him. 

“What’s the plan here?”

“Well our best shot is for Derek and Natasha to try to pick up Stiles’ scent at Eichen House, especially if he went through something stressful there,”. Argent says and you notice something.

“Wait- is Stiles not currently at Eichen House?” You question the group in front of you and they turn to look at you. Surprise etched in their faces.

“No one told you?” Allison asks and you shake your head. 

Reaching out to you, she takes your hand in hers but you shake your head, “He’s not at Eichen anymore is he?” 

She shakes her head and you heave out a sigh, you focus on the bonds and you can feel that he’s frustrated and annoyed, there’s fear but you haven’t bonded so you don’t have an actual location. Looking around at the others around you you nod your head, “alright then, we need to find him. But it doesn’t make sense for all of us to go to Eichen.”

“Well, where else has Stiles been showing when we know he’s not been, Stiles?” Argent questions and while you try to remember you keep getting stuck on last night and what you’d smelt and felt coming from him in Eichen. 

Picking up some of the rope, you hear Allison give a quick list, “the school, the hospital, the station.” 

“Hold on,” Derek interrupts, “We did this already. He disappeared and we started looking for him only to walk right into a trap at the hospital.” 

“That’s not actually how it worked out,” you growl out. Eyes turn to you but you look at Derek. Partially because he’s the one you’re annoyed with and partially because you’re worried about snapping at Arden you focus on him and point out, “Stiles wasn’t the Nogitsune when he ended up in that cave.”

“No but the Nogitsune has already gotten in and was messing with his head,” Derek says as he comes up and puts an arm around you. It’s a comforting gesture but you don’t have the time right now to be comforted- Stiles needs you guys to figure out the Nogitsune. 

“So what do we do?” Allison asks, “Wait for him to come to us?”

“We can’t- the Oni will be after him as soon as the sun goes down,” you remind her with a shake of your head. Then more to yourself than anyone in the room, you mutter, “So how do we get them out of the way?”

“Scotts actually working on that right now, with Kira.”

You can’t help but scoff, “Unless she can convince her mother to call them off, that’s not much help. And considering what her Oni’s swords are apparently covered in - I highly doubt she’s interested in helping.”

“Wait, what do the Oni’s swords have?” Argent’s voice breaks in and both Derek and Allison look at you but no one says anything. Noah must have caught onto the worry in Argent’s voice because he calls your name again and when you turn to meet his gaze, you can see the worry and you shake your head.

“Emerald Wolfsbane,” you tell them and Argent is cursing. At Noah’s confused look, you shake your head, “It’s fine for humans but can be lethal to wolves.”

“So you need to not be careful around it,” Noah asks and both you and Derek nod your heads. 

“How do you know these Oni have this - Emerald wolfsbane?” Noah asks you and lift your shirt to show him the scar that will forever be etched into your skin now. 

His face pales at the sight and he shakes his head, and addresses four of you, “Look I’ll understand if anyone wants to back out.”

“No way,” you say before he’s even fully finished his sentence, “I’m not walking away from Stiles.”

“And I won’t be the first wolf to run from a fox,” Derek says as he crosses his arms. You know that it’s more for you than any kind of pride but there’s only so much that he can get away with. 

“I’m carrying the lightsaber,” Argent points out as he looks down at the baton in his hands. 

Allison comes to stand next to you and takes your hand, “No one’s walking away.”

There’s a silent understanding between the five of you and you turn to Derek, “You and Argent go to Eichen House, see if you can pick up his scent.”

When he nods his head, you look at Allison, “You and I will go to the school and…”

“Actually, I’d like you to go with me to the hospital,” Noah cuts in and you turn to him, ready to deny him when he finishes on a whispered plea, “Please?” 

Slowly you nod your head and Noah tells you he’ll meet you downstairs. Allison grabs her stuff and you both make your way out of the room. 

Standing in the room, Derek watches as Argent picks up one of his guns and a clip.

“Making sure you have some lethal options, just in case?” He asks the older man who turns to him. 

“I like to prepare for the worst,” he says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

Derek shakes his head and scoffs, “You realize that if you kill him, you’ll condemn her and we will hunt you down.”

Argent simply nods at him before making his way past him and out of the apartment. 

You’re not far behind the Sheriff when Alison calling your name stops you, turning around you wait for her to catch up 

“What happened?” she asks without preamble an you raise an eyebrow at her. You point to yourself and then towards Sheriff.

“Uh- Sheriff asked-” 

“Not that,” she interrupts you as she takes your hands and then looks back towards her apartment building, “With my dad.” 

“Ally,” you say but what can you tell her? Shaking your head you look back towards the building and then at her. 

“Something happened, you won’t even look at him now,” she says and you shake your head. 

“It’s not for right now… We’ll talk about it once we save Stiles, I promise,” you tell her before squeezing her hand. You looked at her, begging that she work with you and were grateful when she nodded her head. 

Letting go of her hand, you ran over to the Sheriff’s cruiser and noticed he was holding the door open for you to get in. 


	44. Chapter 44

“I was teaching him, French,” Noshiko reminisced, “They were transferring him to Cameroon and he wanted to be sure he could interact with the locals and so whenever we met up, I would teach him something new.

“We would meet in the barracks or, sometimes, the bunkers where they parked the military vehicles. One day, we were in the bunkers working on his French and just enjoying the last of our time together when we heard voices. We moved to try and hide but we recognized the group that was arguing. Merrick and Hayes were arguing with the camp doctor and I saw money being exchanged,” Noshiko said as she pulled a piece of the shattered blade across her palm.

“Noshiko!” Mr. Yukimura called out at the same time that Kira called “Mom! What are you doing?”

The younger kitsune moved towards her mother only for the woman to put a hand up before she took a cloth from her husband. After wiping her hand she showed her palm, free of any marks. 

“How did you do that?” 

Before Noshiko answered, Alaric cut in, “You’re mothers not human. She’s a kitsune - just like you.”

Kira’s face is contorted in confusion as she looks back and forth between her mother and Alaric. Noshiko simply nods her head, “It’s something you will learn in time Kira. You should have noticed by now that you never get sick, ever.”

Kira looks from Scott to Alaric but doesn’t say anything. Sighing, Alaric tells her, “Both of you have it. You’ll never have to worry about getting a cold, catching the flu. You won’t die from sickness. Not unless someone turns Wolfsbane on you,” Alaric finishes the last part by looking at Noshiko. 

“Is she dead?” Noshiko asks and Alaric growls at her.

“Guys,” Scott calls out. When Alaric turns to him he puts his hand up “I get that this is a thing… a big thing between you and I’m not trying to make it seem unimportant … but we need her help to find Stiles.

Before Alaric can respond, Noshiko is telling them, “You won’t ever have to worry about something like pneumonia…In 1945 there was an outbreak. People were getting sick and dying and no matter what the doctors did, there was no way to save them. It didn’t take long for it to reach our bunker and then Michio got sick…

“Rhys had rushed him over to Eichen along with a few other people and I went with them. I watched as friends and family died in those beds. At this point, I didn’t know what it was, I just knew that death was surrounding me and there was nothing I could do… I can’t tell you how long I was there before Rhys came. He was the one that told me it was pneumonia and that the hospital was out of M & B.”

“Wait, what’s M & B?” Scott asked and Noshiko gave him a look.

“May and Baker Pharmaceuticals, they were sulfadiazine. A way to treat the dying,” she informs him, “and it would have probably saved them. I had remembered those boxes because I had no idea what they were when they came in. I told Rhys there were three but he’d said the reports showed they had only gotten one. He double-checked but we knew what was happening. Doctor Cox was using Merrick and Hayes to sell the medicine on the black market. 

“It did us no good to know. People still died and I can still hear Akio’s cries when Michio died…” Noshiko closed her eyes as if she was trying to fight against a memory and the room was silent for a moment, everyone allowing a moment for the dead.”

As Noshiko continues to speak, her voice took on a more regretful tone, “I told them. I told them what Doctor Cox was doing and how it was ours who were suffering because of it. They were - angry… Rinko and I tried to get them to calm down, we told them we could go to the administration but no one believed it would do any good. Akio was sure we would get nothing but false sympathy. Satomi thought we wouldn’t even get that and the arguing went back and forth, back and forth. Akio had picked up a bottle of alcohol and said he was going to make them listen - I had realized my mistake by speaking too soon. I wasn’t helping anyone, I was inciting a riot.” 

“What did they do Noshiko?” Alaric questioned her when she fell silent. It didn’t sound like he really wanted to know but this was a burden they needed to help her with if they were going to save Stiles. 

Shaking her head, it took her a moment before she spoke again, “They surrounded the doctors’ car that night when he was trying to leave the camp to go back to Eichen. There was so much screaming and anger. I had never seen anger like that. It was a living breathing thing and in the chaos, I remember seeing Satomi. She’d been hit by Merrick and her eyes…I knew why she was always trying to keep quiet. Why she got migraines once a month and why she was always at the game of Go… It kept her calm.”

“She was bitten?” Scott asked and when Noshiko nodded he asked, “Why would that make a difference?”

“Bitten wolves have a harder time controlling their stronger emotions, especially anger” Alaric informs him, “It’s harder for them to connect their wolf and their human halves and the wolf can take over more easily in times of anger or fear.”

“Before I knew it, Rhys was on fire,” Noshiko says as her voice breaks. 

The entire way to the hospital you could feel your heartbeat racing, your hands are sweaty and you have to focus on just breathing in order to hold onto your grip of the world around you. 

“Do you think he’ll be here?” You ask Noah after a few minutes if only to have something more to focus on than the silence. 

Noah sighs and you can see him shake his head out of the corner of your eye, “I don’t know. I doubt it to be honest.”

Sighing, you put your look out the window and close your eyes counting to ten.

“Are you doing alright?” you hear Noah’s worry you and you turn to look at him, tilting your head to the side in your confusion he lets out a soft chuckle before he says, “I’m not blind you know. I’ve noticed the way my son looks at you. And, more importantly, the way you look at him.”

You can feel the blood rush to the surface of your skin and you try to look at anything but Mr. Stilinski. His hand on your arm grabs startles you and you turn to look at him. 

“It’s okay,” he tells you, “Stiles is - well he’s Stiles but I don’t think I have seen him spend so much time with someone other than Scott for a long time and he really enjoys your company. I figure you do too.”

You offer him a smile and you go to say something but he continues, “You know, when he was suffering those nightmares, the only time I saw him get any sleep was when you were at the house. I can’t tell you how many times I walked into his room to check up on you guys and the two of you would be asleep. Those nights were the only nights that he actually slept. A couple times, I’m almost positive you had wrapped yourself around him. I think he always woke up before you did.”

You could feel yourself shaking your head, “I don’t… I didn’t…”

He shakes his head and offers you a genuine smile, “Don’t worry about it. I think you’re good for him.”

You try to smile but you can’t and he seems to understand because he tells you, “I don’t know how you guys do this. You’re all so fearless.”

The drive is silent as Noah continues to the hospital, clearing your throat you whisper, “I’m not you know. I’m not fearless…” and you suddenly find yourself telling Noah, “I’m terrified that I’m making all the wrong choices. Terrified that I won’t get to see my family again. I almost died and I get it, I get that my dad and my brothers have responsibilities that they have to handle but I am terrified that I am going to be forgotten while they’re doing that. I’m terrified for Isaac, he should be fine by now but from what I know he’s still in the hospital and if I walk in there, someone is going to tell me that he’s dead… but no one told us because we’re not family… I’m terrified that Stiles is gonna get hurt. That something is going to happen to him or the Oni are gonna get a hold of him…”

“What if I can’t save him?” you whisper, your voice shaky and a moment later, Noah is pulling over and he turns off the car. 

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on but I won’t stop until we save him. There has to be a way and I won’t stop until we find it.”

You feel idiotic when the only thing you can think to do is nod your head at him. 

“It’s okay,” Noah tells you and you, “We’re going to find him. Just don’t give up on him.”

“Never,” you promise him and he squeezes your hand before going to turn on the cruiser. 

As he does, his phone starts beeping and he pulls it out. You can read DIGITAL LIFE SYSTEM and ask him what it is. 

“Someone’s breaking into my house,” Noah says as he opens up an app, “After Stiles started sleepwalking, I had some security precautions put in. Motion sensors, cameras.”

The app shows that a camera was activated upstairs and when Noah opens the app you freeze as a shiver travels your spine and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Sitting there, looking directly into the camera is Stiles. He’s sitting at an angle and, almost as if he knows he’s being watched, he waves and you look at Noah.

“We need to call the others.”


	45. Chapter 45

“There were gunshots, the people that were meant to protect us had not only been stealing from us, they turned their guns on us. I remember feeling bullet after bullet hit me and then just the deafening silence,” Noshikos telling them, “the gunfire nearly killed me. I don’t know how many bullets my body took-”

“Obviously not enough,” Alaric mutters and Scott glares at him. Alaric merely raises an eyebrow at him as if he’s questioning why Alaric would be upset. 

“Obviously I fought every one of them,” Noshiko points out to them, “It left my body so weak and my heartbeat so slow it appeared as though I was dead.’

She continued to lay down broken pieces of the Katan, saying that she was still better off than Reese. He’d apparently died in agonizing pain at Eichen House. 

“Mom - how do you know that?”

“Satomi eventually told me… Merrick and Hayes were tasked with getting rid of our bodies. They dragged out the Americans and Japanese-Americans and remember just thinking, they were covering it up.”

“The doctor, Merrick, Hayes, and all the others were going to get away with murder…” her voice was panicked and she was visibly shaking. 

“Noshiko,” Alaric says, “I’m not trying to belittle what happened to you and yours but why would they close down and destroy the records for Oak Creek because of this? The American Government is known for hiding things but this seems like something they would have used as a war tactic to demonize and inspire.”

“It wasn’t the burning or our slaughter that caused it,” Noshiko scoffs, “By some miracle, Rhys’ body had been put next to mine. I had looked over at his bandaged covered body and I couldn’t help but to remember all of the moments we’d had together and I realized it had been his fellow soldiers and the administration of the camp that was responsible. I wanted them to be punished for what they did. But the clock was ticking. I was going to lose my chance. They were going to burn me with the others and I couldn’t fight back. My body was still weak - I could barely move. I was going to die. With time slipping through my fingers, I knew I was making a terrible decision but I could not die knowing they would get away. So, I called out to our ancestors for kitsune-tsuki.”

“Possession by a fox spirit…” Alaric whispered, “and you asked for a nogitsune didn’t you?”

Noshiko nodded her head, “I wanted it to take control of my weakened body, imbue it with power and use it as a weapon. But calling on a trickster is a tricky thing. They can have a very dark sense of humor. While the nogitsune did come to possess someone it wasn’t me.”

Alaric scoffed, “Why would you think it would?

When Noshiko turned to glare at him, he shook his head, “A shifter cannot be possessed by another shifter. You knew that didn’t you?” he accused. 

When Noshiko didn’t say a word, he pushed her, “What did it do Noshiko?”

“It brought chaos, strife and more pain than you can imagine,” Noshiko said with a shake of her head, “I had to find him… I had to stop him.”

She placed the last of katana pieces down “Kira hurry. Night is coming. Coup de foudre… The literal translation is ‘a bolt of lightning.’ In French, it can also mean, ‘love at first sight,” turning to Kira she pointed out that “A bolt of lighting happens to be exactly what we need right now.”

“For what?” Scott questioned. 

“Excising the nogitsune from Rhys’ body shattered the katana. But you can put it back together,” Noshiko said and when Kira asked why she couldn’t do it herself, she pointed out, “I’m not a thunder Kitsune.”

“What kind are you?”

“Ongaku,” Noshiko answered before returning her attention to Kira, “Do you trust me?”

“I just found out you’re 900 years old. I don’t think I’m ever gonna trust you again,” Kira Scoffs as she steps away from her mother. 

“Trust me on this,” Noshiko calls as she steps towards Kira. Taking her daughter’s hand, Noshiko was able to help Kira channel her powers and everyone in the room watched as the katana melded itself back together.

By the time you made it to the Stilinski household, it was to find Stiles’ room empty. Taking a deep breath, you noticed that the scent was relaxed. Whatever was going on, this was part of the plan. 

“Guys!” Allison called and you turned to see her looking at a chessboard. 

Walking over to it, you tilt your head, but when you don’t see it immediately, you ask softly “What is this?”

“And what are the sticky notes for?” Argent added.

Noah came over and took one look at the board, “This is what Stiles used to try and explain to me about all of you. But he’s added Natasha’s name since then.”

“Then maybe it’s a message from Stiles,” Allison pointed out, “The real Stiles.”

“It might not be,” you point out as you pick up the pawn that had been moved off the board, “Isaacs not on the board anymore.”

“Wait- why is Little Wolfs name on the king?” Derek asked and you glanced over to realize that it was. There were other pieces around them but you didn’t know what they meant. 

“She’s heavily guarded,” Noah pointed out, “But I guess the alarming detail is that she’s one move from being in check-mate.”

“Which is when the other person wins?” you clarify and Argent nods his head. 

“It’s not a message from Stiles. It’s a threat from the nogitsune.” 

Something clicks for you and you look at Argent, “He’s at the loft, isn’t he?” 

“And he wants us to come there.”

“Nights falling,” Derek points out before Argent continues, pointing out that it couldn’t sound more like a trap if they tried. 

Noah shakes his head, “I don’t think it is.”

“I think your opinion might be slightly biased, Sheriff,” Argent points out. 

“Hear me out,” The sheriff tries .”What we’re dealing with here is basically someone who lacks motive. No rhyme, no reason right?”

As he talks you remember the vision you’d had before. Anansi had been a trickster with the body of a spider. An eagle had gone after Prometheus, who’d given the greeks fire had been condemned to have an eagle eat his liver every day for the rest of eternity, the gold had been horns- the horns of Loki’s helmet and they’d all been right before you’d seen Stiles. But it hadn’t been Stiles… white fur and the Valkyries… It had to have been the Nogitsune.

“Guy’s- Sheriffs right. The Nogitsune is a trickster. They’re amoral and outrageous but they’re not trying to kill people. The killing is just a byproduct of the jokes.” 

“Little Wolf, if you’re trying to say it won’t kill us. I’m not feeling too confident about that,” Derek says and you shake you turn to him. 

“Der,” you plead “think of Loki, his goal wasn’t to kill people, it was always about getting a good laugh.”

“Until Ragnarok,” Derek threw back at you and you shook your head 

“Do you really think a fox is going to bring about Ragnarok? Besides look at the sun and the moon their still out. Skoll and Hati are still chasing the sun and the moon. No, this thing wants irony.”

“It wants a joke,” the sheriff says and you nod your head, “We just need to come up with a new punchline.”

“Alright you two, the sun is setting. What do you have in mind?” 

You actually have no clue but Noah had figured it out before you had and so you turn to him and he looks down at the chessboard. 

Looking up, Kira’s face is in awe of what she’d just been able to do. She offers Scott a small, imperceptible smile before her mom is handing her the katana she’d just fixed, “Go ahead, it’s yours now.”

Kira shakes her head and steps back, “What if I don’t want it?”

“You need it,” Noshiko says as she tosses the sword at Kira who instantly catches it and swings it around as if it’s an extension of who she is, “It gives you balance. My power is yours now, Kira. If the Oni can’t stop Stiles you have to. The same as I did.” 

Noshiko glances over to Scott and Alaric, “And maybe seek out a few wolves to help you.”

“You didn’t tell us anything,” Scott points out and Alaric shakes his head.

“She wants us to kill him.”

Scott’s shocked expression flicks from the older wolf to Noshiko who nods her head, “It’s the only way to save him.”

Scott then turns to Mr. Yukimura, “You agree with this?”

“Sometimes history does repeat itself, Scott,” Mr. Yukimura says but doesn’t confirm if he agrees or disagrees with his wife. 

“Only if you don’t learn.”

“Sometimes even then, fate conspires against you.”

Both Alaric and Scotts phones go off and they each check them respectively before Scott tells the Yukimuras that there has to be a way to save Stiles. Scott walks out quickly followed by Kira but Alaric stays behind for a moment. 

“If something happens to the boy Noshiko, you should remember that you stood against my family. We will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and there’s not a hole deep enough you can hide yourself or your daughter.”

She takes a step towards him, trying to intimidate him only to be hit by the power of an Alpha. He’d been hiding it since they came into town - out of respect for Scott and there’s a flash of terror on Noshikos face before she straightens her spine. 

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“If they stand behind you give them protection.. If they stand beside you give them respect. If they stand against you, show them no mercy,” Alaric reminds her before his phone goes off a second time. Looking down, he picks it up and turns to walk out of the room, “Asuka?”

Within the room, Noshiko pulls out her last Kaiken. “I’ll take it somewhere safe,” she says as she lifts it up. 

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” her husband says and turns to her, “History has not done well with making children into killers.”

“These children played their part in it long before we came back to Beacon Hills,” she tells him, her voice sounds like she’s trying to convince herself more than she’s trying to convince him, “I had buried the jar deep within the roots of the Nemeton. It was their sacrifice that brought its power back. They let the demon out of its cage.”

“Perhaps…” her husband says, then he turns to her and when he speaks again, his voice is harsh and cold, “Natasha had nothing to do with that. Why would you think it ever okay to use Emerald Wolfsbane on her? On anyone?”

 ** _So you see Stiles, I didn’t have a choice. I was avenging my children’s children. Would you not have done the same thing? Would you not have gone after the very people responsible for causing the deaths of innocent children? Or do you expect me to believe that you would have sat back and done nothing._** Void asked his host as he finished his story, watching the sun setting through the windows.

His host was about to answer but was distracted by the sound of voices and footsteps coming up the hall. The door opened and he could smell her. It took his host a moment to realize exactly who it was but when he did, the relief that flooded him was unsurprising. 

Turning around, he met her purple eyes, “Hello, Natasha.“


	46. Chapter 46

_She’s alive. Holy crap she’s actually alive._ Stiles can remember what it looked like to see the betrayal in her eyes. He can remember what it felt like to watch her face contort in pain as Void twisted the ninjato into her. 

“Void,” she says and her voice is cold and detached. Stiles is worried for a moment at what he’s hearing. It’s not like her to be so harsh. 

Trying to get through to the surface, Stiles watches as his dad walks into the room. 

_Let me through_ , he snaps at Void who merely chuckles. 

**Now, why would we want to do that, Stiles? She’s here and so is your father… We’re going to have a lot of fun we think.**

_I swear to god if you lay a single hand on her_ -

**You’ll what Stiles? In case you hadn’t noticed, We happen to be the one in control.**

Void had been watching as the girl and his hosts father both made their way towards him. They moved slowly, almost as if they were afraid to spook him and as he watched them, he noticed the glint of silver at the same time his host did and it took him only a moment to realize what it was, “You want to handcuff me?”

The voice was Stiles but you knew better and so did Mr. Stilinski. He tried to plead with his son, “If my son is still here, if there’s still a part of him standing here in front of me- then he’ll put these on willingly and he’ll come with us. Because he knows I’m here to protect him from himself and from others.”

When no movement was made, you tried to appeal to Stiles, “Stiles… Please, let us protect you.”

There was a look of confusion that flitted across Stiles face but it happened so fast you had no real chance to interpret it before he nodded and placed his hands out. 

Mr. Stilinski fell into his Sheriff role and placed the cuffs on the Nogitsune, tightening them. As soon as they were one, he looked over to you and you could see that the Nogitsune was in control. 

Letting out a soft growl, the Sheriff realized exactly what was going on and confirmed that the body in front of you was more Nogitsune than Stiles. 

As soon as he heard those words, Void smiled at the group in front of him before breaking the cuffs on his wrists. 

Three more bodies walked into the room and he recognized two hunters and another wolf. Watching as they surrounded him, it was the female hunter that attacked him first. 

Grabbing the wire she’d shot at him, he felt the electricity sizzle within him and had to bite back a smile. It would cause Stiles physical pain and would give him something to snack on for a bit. Twisting the wire, he pulls the machine out of her hand and launches it to the side. 

“Let him go you bastard,” he hears and chuckles as he turns to the girl. 

Stepping towards her, he watches as she holds her ground and meets his gaze. As he walks up to her, his host begins to fight him, leave her alone. 

**Ah, Ah, Ah Stiles… what did we tell you… We are in control.**

Tuning out his host he meets the girls harsh stare and he reaches out to cup her face. When she flinches and pulls back he’s reminded that she knows exactly what his host had been up to and leaning into her he takes a deep breath. 

“It would seem you are still affected by his actions. Perhaps I should tell you more,” he whispers to her and she’s almost out of his reach instantly. 

Narrowed eyes meet his and he chuckles before dropping his voice so that the humans in the room cannot hear, “Would you like to know how he called her name? Or how her skin felt against his lips?”

He could feel his hosts confusion but when they watched the girls demeanor change and her fists clench at her sides, it seemed that his host may have actually understood. Good. 

Void continued to taunt the girl as his host began to fight him further, “Perhaps you’d like to know that he didn’t even think of you for a second as he -”

A low growling caught his attention and he turned to find the male wolf, Derek, was launching himself at him. Catching the man Void hyperextended the arm before slamming the man’s head into a table and throwing him into one of the pillars in the room. The sound of cracking bones brings a smile to his face. 

There’s a clicking sound and he turns to see the male hunter with a gun pointed at hm.

The group surrounding he can taste their fear and their worry. There’s apparently a risk to his host in this moment and Void has to bite his tongue to keep from breaking out into laughter. 

His hosts father was pleading with the hunter, trying to get him to put the weapon down. 

“I’ve done it before,” the older hunter countered, “Werewolves, berserkers, I can easily add a nogitsune to the list. 

“Put it down,” the other male demands but no one moves. 

“Dad,” Void calls out, his voice taking on the inflection of his host, “he’s going to shoot me. He’s going to kill me Dad.”

Neither one of the relents and Void turns to meet the hunters eyes, he’s not sure of his course of action yet so he calmly states, “Pull the trigger. Come on.”

The fear begins to soak through the room and people are shouting but he focuses on the hunter. 

“Shoot me,” he tells him but still the man doesn’t pull the trigger. 

Screaming at him to shoot him he’s almost knocked down by something and a shot is heard. Looking around, he finds the form of a large black wolf pinning down the male hunter and a menacing growl. 

She was protecting her mate… but it meant she would protect him as well. 

The room fell silent and heavy when there was the sound of snapping jaws.

 ** _Can we rip his throat out now?_** She asks you as you snap your teeth together directly in front of Argent. You can see the startled look on his face but you growl at him as a warning.

You can hear Allison calling your name and you place a paw on the center of Argents chest before turning to growl at her. He may be her dad but no one’s going to harm Stiles. 

“This is what he wants,” she tells you softly. Her voice is pleading as she approaches you, “this is exactly what he wants.”

 ** _He threatened our mate,_** your wolf points out and you’re about to agree when Voids voice breaks through. 

“Not exactly- I was kind of hoping Scott would be here”

You turn to look at him as you lift your paw off Argents chest, allowing the man to breathe. 

“I’m glad you all have your guns out,” Void says as he walks towards you, he runs his fingers through your fur but it feels wrong and you move away from him before he says, “and your wolves because you’re not here to kill me.”

The sound of a clacking hiss grabs everyone’s attention just as four Oni materialize. l

“You’re here to protect me,” he says as he steps behind the line of people as Argent stands. 

The Oni unsheath their swords and an involuntary whine escapes you as you take a half step back. Derek places himself in front of you and the sound of gunshots fills the air. 

**_Protect him._ **

_Emerald Wolfsbane… remember?_

**_Of course, I remember but he is ours to protect and we WILL protect him!_** She snaps at you but you can feel her fear.

Two of the Oni in front of you disappear and you can hear them reappear behind you, curling your body around that of Stiles’ you watch as Derek and Allison step in front of you. 

Crouching low, you prepare to launch yourself at whichever Oni makes it through the others when they all rush forward. It looks to you, like the one near Derek is going to make it through so you launch yourself towards it as he side steps it only to meet nothing. 

Hitting the ground with a hard thud, you whimper as one of your bones shatters and you pull it the front leg towards your body. Your arm is going to hurt like hell when you shift back. 

The sound of pounding footsteps makes all of you turn towards the doors and you prepare for the next wave of attack only to watch Scott rush in, with Kira directly behind him. 

“What happened?” Scott demands an Allison is the one to respond. 

“They disappeared. They literally just vanished.”

“And so did Stiles.” Mr. Stilinski says and you turn around to see that he was, in fact gone. 

Having made it back to Eichen House, he watches as Noshiko walks down the stairs. His host is angry with him, which is unsurprising but still annoying. The male had been a minor nuisance since he’d let him in but, it would seem, that seeing the girl had given him the strength to fight back with more intensity. 

**_Be careful Stiles or we may just take her from you._ **

  
She seems to be searching for something as he goes through his hold hosts body for a moment before she kneels down to pick up some of the fallen debri. 

“Why that Kanji?” he questions as he steps into her view. 

Thankfully, his hosts curiosity keeps him quiet and he doesn’t have to fight the male to be quiet. 

“Why self?” he questions when the woman says nothing. 

“To signify that he died as himself,” she tells him as she turns and brandishes the last kaikan at him, “Because Rhys wasn’t a monster. Not like you.”

Void tsked at the woman, “If I’m such a monster, they why’d you call off the Oni?” He took a few steps towards her as she held the Kaikan in front of her, ‘What happened to the woman who called out for chaos, strife, and pain to descend upon everyone and everything?”

“I don’t want that anymore…” Noshiko whispered

The scoff of another person interrupted them and Void turned to see a brunette male he did not recognize. Quickly, he tried to search through his host’s mind but found nothing. 

“She called them off because she still wants you to cause chaos, strife, and pain, but not to everyone, just a specific person, isn’t that right Noshiko?” 

When the woman didn’t answer Void looked back at the male and studied him further, it took him a moment to place it but he soon realized “You’re the brother.”

The male nodded his affirmation when Void felt the wind shift. Turning, he quickly caught Noshiko’s wrist as she tried to bring the kaikan down on him.

‘Did you think you could hide this here? Did you think you could hide it from me?” he questioned as he squeezed her wrist until she dropped the tail. 

Taking the tail, he cut into his host’s abdomen from hip to rib. 

“What are you doing?!” the male called out and Void found himself in the male’s grip. 

Allowing himself to laugh, he smiled at the man, “Chaos is come again.”

Fly after fly flew out of the wound and Alaric had to step back as they became a swarm. Moving his arms around, he swatted away a few of them before clearing the area and found that the boy was missing. 

“Stiles?!”


	47. Chapter 47

The room had fallen silent after Mr. Stilinski had pointed out that Stiles was gone. Everyone was worried and sure that it wasn’t a good sign that he’d managed to disappear under your noses but no one knew where to even begin. 

A pained groan caught your attention and you turned to find Derek clutching his arm. Calling out his name you rush over.

Just as you make it to him, the feel of cloth on your skin surprises you. Looking over, you find that Mr. Stilinski had covered you in his jacket and for a moment you’re confused but then you remember that you’d transformed into your wolf when Argent had threatened Stiles and you were in your human form now which meant that you were naked. Mumbling your thanks, you put your arms through the sleeves and zip up the jacket. Thankfully, the jacket seems to cover most of you.

Inhaling the scent that is so similar to Stiles you allow it to calm you while you move Derek’s hand. You worry slightly at the sight of the blood but you feel like your stomachs falling into a pit and your heart’s stopped when you see the cut on his back.

“Der-” you whisper with a shaky voice, “How did that happen?”

The edges of the cut are smooth and ever, and they’re much too deep to have been caused by claws. They look like they could be - no. You refuse to even think that but Derek took your hands in his and shook his head. 

“It’s okay.”

“No, no, no,” you shook your head at him, “This is not okay.”

Your hands were shaking as you tried to check Derek over and as much as you tried to still them but couldn’t. Pulling them back you started looking around. 

Frantically, you moved towards the table that Void had shattered and you dug into the broken debris.

A hand on your shoulder stopped you and you turned to see Mr. Stilinski’s hand on your shoulder. 

“It has to be here,” you whisper. There’s a look of confusion on his face and you shake your head, “The ninjato the Oni used… the wolfsbane.”

There was a collective inhale as everyone either remembered or realized that the wolfsbane had been put into your system with an Oni’s ninjato. You keep searching for the ninjato, you can hear the others moving around and assume they’re also searching but it’s quickly evident that there’s nothing there. 

“How did you know last time?” Ally asks you and you shake your head. 

“It wasn’t me… It was -” You trail off as you realize it had been Deaton who’d known. Telling Ally, she nods her head and immediately pulls out her phone dialing the veterinarian’s number. 

You move back to Derek who, thankfully, looks like he’s still fine. He was moving around with you which probably meant that he was fine but you wanted to be sure. It hadn’t been a coincidence that there was Emerald Wolfsbane on their weapons and you didn’t want Derek to have to face this. 

You could hear Allison on the phone but you can barely make out what she’s saying as you try to work on Derek. 

“He’ll be fine!” Allison calls out and you quickly turn to face her. 

“How?”

“Deaton said that if it had been Emerald Wolfsbane he would have already hit the floor…”

“What do you mean?”

“When you ummm,” Ally clears her throat before continuing, “When you were stabbed he says that you’d basically hit the ground almost instantly. Deaton said…” she trailed off and looked somewhat uncomfortable. 

“Ally, what did Deaton say?”

She cleared her throat and nodded her head, “He said that the only way you were able to stand a long as you did was because the ninjato that Stiles -”

“Void,” you interrupted her. “It wasn’t Stiles that stabbed me… It was Void.”

She nodded her head, “Void. Deaton said that had Void not been holding you up, you wouldn’t have been able to stand. Apparently, as soon as the ninjato was removed, you’d fallen instantly. He said the sword had the coating but that you were burning to the touch and you were convulsing minutes later.”

“But is he sure?” you demanded of your friend slightly harsher than you realized. 

“Little Wolf,” Derek’s voice cut in and you turned to look at him. He reaches out to cup your face in both his hands and whispers to you, “I’m okay.”

You look at him and you take him in. He doesn’t look like there’s any pain and there’s no change to his scent so, slowly, you nod your head in agreement. 

“So what are we gonna do about Stiles?” Argents voice asked and you all turned to look at him. 

“The Oni have disappeared but do we think they’re gone for the night?” Ally asks and the room falls silent. 

Voices overlap with each other as everyone argues about different options.

“We need to go searching.”

“We need to stay here.”

“This is exactly what he wants.”

“He’s a danger out there.”

It was Kira’s voice though that caught your attention. Turning to look at her she was on her phone and you tried to focus your hearing. The humming and whirring of the metal is annoying, and grating and before you’re really able to tune it out to just hear the person on the other line, Kira’s hanging up. 

“He’ll be fine- from the Oni at least,” Kira announces to the room. When everyone’s eyes are on her, she seems uncomfortable but nods her head in reassurance, “My mom said she called the Oni off for the night.”

You don’t trust Noshiko but you trust Kira, so you ask if she’s sure. The girl hesitates a moment but gives a single nod. 

Argent and Noah seem to share a look with each other before it’s agreed that you’ll call it a night. Anything you do this late at night would look suspicious to most people anyways. 

It’s not long before Mr. Stilinski, Scott, Kira, Ally, and Argent are leaving the loft. 

Not long after your friend and her father left the room, you call out for Mr. Argent and rush after him. They were waiting near the stairwell and you suspect that they were going to avoid the elevator all together. 

You find that you feel somewhat ashamed and uncomfortable in his presence now, rubbing the back of your neck and shifting your weight from one foot to the other, you clear your throat before speaking, “I - ummm… well, that is to say…” 

You sigh before shoving your pride out of the way and shaking your head apologetically, “I’m sorry about… well earlier.”

“Allison, go to the car,” Argent says and you can tell that your friend is about to argue but he gives her a look and she immediately closes her mouth. 

Giving you an apologetic smile, your friend makes her way to the stairwell, you go to apologize to Argent again but he holds up a finger then places a finger to his ear. It takes you a half a second to realize that he means that he wants to wait till he’s sure that Ally is gone. 

Listening, you hear your friends steps disappear down the stairwell and eventually the door open and close. It doesn’t take long to realize that yes, she did walk out of the building. Her heartbeat disappearing with the closing of the door. 

Turning back to Argent, you see the question in his eyes and nod your head. 

He returns the nod before saying, “It’s fine you know. I’m not mad or upset. I actually get it.”

“You do?”

“Your dad was the one that asked me to take care of Stiles. I didn’t get it at first but I think I get it now. He’s yours to protect isn’t he?”

You could feel yourself stiffen and Argent shook his head, “It’s alright. I won’t say a word just know I get it.” 

You’re not sure what it is that Argent sees in you but a moment later he’s pulled you into his arms and he’s hugging you tight and you feel something inside you almost break. You’d been vulnerable in front of Mr. Stilinski earlier and you weren’t going to do it now. 

“It’s okay you know,” Argent tells you as he pulls back, “these things tends to work out themselves. We just need to separate him from the Nogitsune.”

You nod your head and he calls it a night. Staying in the hallway, you wait till you hear him leave while you try to collect yourself. Running your fingers through your scalp you take a few deep breaths before footsteps on the stairs catch your attention. 

Looking over to the stairs you watch as a curly mop of brown hair comes up the stairs. 

“Isaac?!” you screamed as you launched yourself at the man. 

“Hey you,” Isaac whispered as he hugged you tight. 

“When did you wake up?” you asked him, “When did they let you out of the hospital?”

“Uhh just about an hour ago. I just woke up and there was a guy and a woman in the room. The guy said his name was Rogelio and there was a woman - he said she was a witch and that he’d brought her in to help.”

“Wait, but how did - how did he get approval to even see you let alone bring someone in?” you questioned. 

“Something about paper-work and computer systems and I didn’t really understand it, he said he’d call you about it later.”

“I’m mostly just glad you’re okay. Wait- what are you doing here? Have you been to see Ally yet?” 

He took your hands in his, “It’s okay, I thought I’d come see you first. I’m actually on my way there in a few minutes but figured you’d be pissed if you heard from someone else I was out of the hospital,” Isaac chuckled. 

“Yeah, probably.”

The two of you spent a few more minutes talking before he took off to go meet up with Allison. 

Walking back into the loft, you saw Peter talking to Derek. 

“When did you get in?” you ask your older cousin as you cross to give him a hug. 

“Few minutes ago,” was all he told you. 

Looking at the board in front of you, you noticed that Derek had a chessboard out. 

“What are you doing Der?”

“He says Stiles had a chessboard in his room with your name on one of the king,” Peter informs you and when you nod your head he asks if you know that Derek’s got a cut on his shoulder. 

“Yeah, it’s from one of the Oni’s nijatos,” you tell him and your almost instantly hit by rage. 

The rage that hits you almost feels like a freight train and you grunt at the effort it takes to remain calm, “Peter what the hell?!”

“The last person we know that got cut by one of those swords was stabbed with Emerald Wolfsbane, or did you two suddenly forget that?” Peter yells at you as he goes around the table and grabs Derek. 

He’s searching him over but Derek pushes him off. Flashing his eyes at Derek, you hear Peter snarl at him, “I swear to God-”

“Peter!” you scream and thankfully he turns to you, “He’s okay. We already checked.”

“How are you sure?”

“Deaton-”

“Yeah cause that man can be trusted with anything,” Peter scoffs and you cross your arms. 

“You went to Japan with him,” you remind him, “Just a few days ago in case you don’t remember.”

“Yes, and because I went we were able to get the right lichen to stop the Nogitsune trapped inside Stiles,” he rebuts and pulls on Derek’s shirt.

Derek goes to push him off but you shake your head, “Let him Der - it’ll give him some peace of mind at least..”

Rolling his eyes Derek gives you his thoughts on what he thinks of the situation but relents none the less. The room falls silent for a few minutes as Peter does whatever he does to check over his nephew and be sure that he’s actually okay. 

Finally satisfied, Peter pulls away, “You seem fine,” he mutters to Derek. 

“You done now you overprotective old man?”

“Watch it,” he warns you and you chuckle softly before turning to Derek. 

“So what’s the plan with the chessboard?”

“If this is a game to him, we need to figure out the plays,” Derek tells the two of you as he starts to set the pieces down. 

“It won’t be easy to do,” you tell him.

You’re all momentarily silent as you and Derek quickly place the different pieces on the board. You notice that while the king is almost checkmated there was a bishop surrounded by a few rooks. 

You’re about to ask if a bishop can be taken out by a rook when Peter speaks up again, “This doesn’t make sense.” When you and Derek turn to look at him, Derk asks what he means and Peter shakes his head, “We’re dealing with the kind of spirit that’s lived too long to play by human rules.”

“It’s a fox spirit that chose to become human,” Peter points out, stressing the word chose, “That’s something they can only do after about a 100 years. If a kitsune is an annoying pain in the ass, which they are, then a nogitsune a dark kitsune is a freaking disaster.”

You look at between Peter and the board for a moment when it occurs to you, “Chess is Stiles’ game.”

“Exactly Little Wolf- I doubt it’s the game of a japanese fox.”

“Well, then what kind of games do Japanese foxes play?” you ask but are cut off by the feeling of something burning on your hip. 

  
Gasping, you can feel it spread up across your stomach and towards the opposite ribs. The burning becomes searing as it continues and you can hear yourself screaming as Derek and Peter are on either side of you. 

Just as quickly as it had appeared the pain disappears and you’re left panting, trying to catch your breath. 

“Little Wolf look at me,” Peters demanding and with great effort, you turn to look up at him. He asks you what happened.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” you manage to get out, “It was just…a searing pain and then it was just - gone.”


	48. Chapter 48

As expected, no one had left you alone the night before. You wanted to think it was sweet and had it been someone else, you probably would have thought it was sweet but seeing as how it was your cousins who were hovering over you, you were more interested in maiming them than thinking they were being sweet. 

At some point in the night, you’d fallen asleep on the couch. The effects of the last few days being worse than you’d expected. It was as you slept that she had informed you that though you were doing better you were not yet fully healed. Apparently, your body was a bit weaker than you thought which, in retrospect, should not have been all that surprising. 

It was while you had slept that Aaric had gotten back to the loft. You hadn’t heard him come in but you recognized his scent when you woke up. Though from what you could tell, he was the only one in the loft. 

Stretching out, you felt like you had slept maybe an hour but the position of the sun told you, you’d been out for a while. You’re about to get up and go find your brother when he comes into the room, “Well if it isn’t sleeping beauty, back from the dead.”

“Oh shut up,” you told him as you made your way towards the kitchen. You put some water to boil for some tea while he watched you. You didn’t have to have any supernatural abilities to realize that your brother was uncomfortable but figured you would let him speak up when he was ready. 

You finished making your tea and still, he said nothing. Turning, you met his gaze and raised an eyebrow. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked after a moment. 

When he doesn’t answer you turn around to him and ask him again, this time your voice is shaking. 

“Derek told me about the random pain from last night,” he begins and your arm instantly covers your abdomen, trying to protect yourself. “I think I know what happened,” he informs you and his tone is soft, gentle. Like when he used to try and soothe you after a nightmare. 

“Aaric?” you whisper, afraid of what he’s going to tell you. 

Sighing, he crossed over to you and took the mug out of your hands, “Something happened last night but I’m not sure what it means.”

“Okay…” you said slowly as you moved to sit at the island. 

“Did Scott tell you Noshiko’s story?” he asks and you shake your head telling him that you weren’t even aware that she was involved in any of this, though you weren’t surprised. 

“Well it would seem she’s the reason the Nogitsune came to this side of the world at the very least,” Alaric muttered and then began to tell you the story. How Theo was right and Oak Creek was a real place and that Kira’s mom had been there. 

She was almost 900 years old and she had been in those camps when atrocity fell and she had called for revenge only to unleash the Nogitsune into the world. 

As he talks you work on your tea and when he’s finished you shake your head and scoff, “People are just awful in general aren’t they? Humans have been at war with each other, with us, since the dawn of time and we all just… constantly have to find a way to hurt others. The Nogitsune did its job- she had asked it for chaos, strife and pain and it had delivered. She just didn’t count on him turning against his own,” you growled out. 

Slamming the cup down on the island, you can feel it shatter between your hands, “What kind of shifter calls for possession by another shifter?” you snap. “It’s not possible! Our bodies already hold our two halves how can anyone think they can hold a third?!” 

“That’s part of the issue Ylfa, she wasn’t thinking. She was blinded by her need for revenge and figured because she was on the edge of death, she could get away with it.”

“Well obviously she was wrong,” you mutter as you let go of the mug and watch the pieces fall apart. Shaking the small pieces off your hands, you realize that while this is sad and it gives you a reason for the Nogitsune being in town, Aaric wouldn’t have been this 

“Why does this have you on edge so much though?” you ask him.

“Well, the Nogitsune is back. He told me ‘chaos is come again’”

“Well of course, we knew it was back… wait what do you mean HE told you?” you ask your brother. The hairs on the back of your neck were standing up and you knew that wherever this was going, you weren’t gonna like it. Still, you had to know, “What does this have to do with last night?”

“I ran into Stiles last night,” Alaric began and your heart stopped as you got up from the table. 

“So here’s here,” you surmised and you wondered how it was that you could have missed his scent, his presence. 

“No Ylfa,” comes your brothers harsh response and you shake your head, he has to be wrong. “Ylfa, he’s not here,” he tells you and when you turn back to face him, he waits till he has your full attention. 

“Peter and Derek are out looking for him right now, but he disappeared on me, literally. I had followed Noshiko to Eichen house and he was there, waiting for her. He got a hold of her kaiken-”

“What the hells a kaiken?” you interrupted him and he informed you that they were physical manifestations of her tails and that Void had managed to get a hold of the one she’d had with her. 

“He cut himself open from hip to ribs,” your brother informs.

You stop for a moment before your heart starts starts racing like a frightened rabbit. You have to try and steady yourself on the counter.

Your brother is there, steadying you when he tells you, “Ylfa, you’ve been feeling his pain for awhile now. Think about it. Even before you left home, you talked about having frustrations that didn’t make sense to you. Do you remember the night that you woke up, terrified that one of us was going to die? You’d said that you’d had a dream that we were standing in a puddle of gasoline and you’d been terrified we were going to burn to death.”

You nodded your head, “I didn’t let either of you out of my sight for a week after that…”

Nodding your brother continued, “I think that the Emerald Wolfsbane just exacerbated the issue because your body’s natural defenses are weak.”

“Alright then we need to go find Stiles,” you pointed out as you moved towards the stairs. 

“Make it fast,” your brother called after you. 

Running into your room, you quickly changed out of your pyjamas and into something you could easily move in. Making it back down the main part of the loft, you find your brother on the phone. 

“Yeah, no thanks Akimi. You’ve been a great help,” he says before hanging up the phone. He looks at you and tells you, “I need you to focus, see if you can find his part of the bond.”

“I won’t be able to physically find him though,” you remind your brother.

“No but you will be able to tell if Stiles is still there or if he’s been lost to the Nogitsune’s spirit,” your brother tells you. 

Nodding your head, you work with her to try and find the chord that is your bond with Stiles. It takes a moment to find it but when you do, you realize that it’s completely silent. There are no feelings coming from it. 

Eyes snapping open, you looked shook your head, “Nothings there.”

You still hadn’t calmed down from earlier and you could feel your breath shortening when your phone started ringing. Trying to focus on the sound, and trying to use it to anchor yourself to the moment, you listened as the line stopped ringing only to start up again moments later. 

“It’s Aiden,” your brother informed you as he handed you the phone. 

**_Aiden._ **

**_Aiden would have spent time with Lydia…_ **

**_Lydia is connected to Stiles…_ **

**_Lydias a banshee…_ **

**_Lydia can hear the world on a different level…_ **

**_Lydia is connected to Stiles…_ **

**_Lydia is connected to Stiles…_ **

Taking the phone from your brother, you answer the phone, “What’s up Aiden?”

“You need to get to Scott’s house, we got Stiles- we’re taking him there now,” came Aiden’s voice before the line cut out. 

He could hear people talking as he came back to consciousness, a woman’s voice was the first he recognized, “… needs to be in the hospital.”

Groaning, he heard the Alpha pointing out that the last time he’d been in the hospital things hadn’t gone very well. He was trying to push past the fog as they continued speaking. It took him what felt like considerable effort but he was able to push past it and opened to see the veterinarian looking at him. 

“Well hello there,” he smirked as the people in front of him all quickly shuffled back, away from him. The body felt heavy though and, try as he might, he could barely move.

No one said anything for a moment but he could feel their fear and their worry and he couldn’t help but chuckle at their stunned silence, “Is that any way to treat your good old friend?”

No one said a word for a moment, they just observed him it was the Alpha that figured it out first, “You can’t move…”

Neither confirming or denying the accusation, Void merely stared at the people in front of him. They kept an eye on him but as soon as they realized that the Alpha was right, they began to talk amongst themselves. He didn’t particularly care to pay attention to them as they continued. Instead, he took the time to feast as they argued back and forth about what to do. He would need the sustenance in order to be able to move. 

Focusing on the feeding he tried to move his body but found that it was much slower going thane he would like. Getting lost in the movement he tries to force his hosts body to respond sooner but his host is resistant. 

“I may have something more effective,” came the veterinarians’ voice, interrupting his fight against the host. 

Void watched as he opened a case and pulled out a vial of some sort. The Alpha and one of the twins looked at him and he offered them a smirk before they turned to look at each other. There was an uncertainty but they nodded their heads before turning towards him and making their way over. 

They held him down while one of their hands forced his mouth open and the older man neared. Growling softly, the sound became distorted as he felt a liquid being pushed down his throat and it angers him enough that he’s able to lash out, his hand crashing with the twins neck. 

Squeezing the twins neck, the other male starts screaming, Void can feel his host fight back and Stiles is able to release the twin but Voids had enough that he’s able to push the meddlesome boy back and lock him behind a wall for a moment but it would seem it’s too late. He goes to tighten his hold on the twin again but is stopped.

Staring at the hand he tries to will it to do what he wants but it doesn’t even twitch. The name Jackson runs through his hosts mind and Void scoffs, “Kanima venom.”

Flicking his eyes to the veterinarian, he commends him for his thoughts. Thankfully, he’s able to move his hand down into a somewhat comfortable placing as the venom takes full effect. 

The twin offers him a threatening roar and Void turns his attention to him, it’s time to put his plan into action. 

“You know how they say that twins get a feeling when the other one’s in pain?” he taunts the boy who stops abruptly. The first reaction is denial and then worry, both of those are barely enough and so Void continues, “You didn’t lose that talent, too, did you?” 

There it is, the fear that he craves. This one’s mind must be pouring out all his greatest fears if Void can taste the sweetness of his fears. 

It’s like a decadent bar of chocolate.

But he has to keep his head in the game for now. He needs them in their places if he’s going to take them out. 

“Oh, I hope not,” he tells the twin, “You’re gonna need it.” 

The twin and the Alpha share a look. The twin is scared but he’s not been given permission to leave. His first thought is that the Alpha realizes that it’s a part of the game but then he remembers that his host is usually the one to figure those things out - and his host is locked up nice and tight for the time being. 

“I’ll give a little hint,” Void taunts, “Ethan’s at the school.”

That seems to be enough to get people to move because the Alpha is basically pushing the twin out of the room and Void watches before letting out an eerie laugh. 

“Oh I hope he gets there in time… I like the twins..” he smirks as the boys footsteps disappear and turns back to Scott, “Short tempers. Homicidal compulsions. They’re a lot more fun than you bakemomo trying to save the world every -”

He stops as he feels her. It feels like he’s at peace and all is right in the world. Turning around his hosts body can smell her before he can see her. It’s the small of cranberries in the winter, juicy red apples, ripe peaches mixed with blonde wood, snow and an underlying scent of eucalyptus. It gives his host a calmness that almost relaxes Void. 

The male from the night before walks in before her, immediately placing himself in Voids line of sight. However, she walks in and he sees her, he knows she isn’t his -not that he would want her - but his hosts soul recognizes her and what she is. 

“Well, well, well if it isn’t the Ragnulfs here to save the day,” he chuckles. 

Listening to him chuckle you steel yourself to meet Voids gaze and when you do, you are unsurprised to see that he’s staring directly at you. His eyes are cold but he continues. 

“Now you two… your family may think you have a chance but don’t forget what I am,” Voids saying and thankfully, Scott’s mom cuts in. 

“Doc, you brought something to paralyze his body. You got anything for his mouth?” She asks and you offer her a smile, grateful for the reprieve. 

“Yes I do,” Deaton says as he reaches into his bag and pulls out a roll of duct tape and rips off a piece.

You watch as Deaton moves towards Void and places the tape over his mouth while Void just chuckles. 

Once the tapes on, Void lets out a muffled scream that shakes his body. Dark, bottomless, cold eyes meet yours and you hold his gaze for a moment, refusing to be afraid before turning around and walking towards the kitchen.


	49. Chapter 49

Aaric, Scott, and Deaton had walked into the kitchen with you. Lydia was leaning over the kitchen island and you moved to wrap an arm around her. 

She offered you a smile and squeezed your arm but didn’t actually say a word. 

“So how much longer do we have?” Scott asks and three people turn to look at Deaton but you look at your brother. 

Whatever’s going on, Void seems much to calm for having been caught. 

You hear Deaton apologetically tell the others “I don’t know. But if we don’t figure out something soon, we’re going to need to find a better place to pick him.”

Deaton’s voice has taken on a bit of a warning quality to it towards the end before he continues, “I think we’re grossly underestimating the danger here.”

“You are,” Alaric cuts in but doesn’t elaborate, instead he looks at you and you can feel as six pairs of eyes land on you. The ones from the other room feel like they’re trying to bore holes into the back of your head. 

“Lyds - how’d you and Adien manage to catch him?” 

“We didn’t catch him,” she tells you with a shake of her head, “we found him.” 

“Found him?” You clarified.

Nodding her head, Lydia turned to look over her shoulder at him before she turned back to the group, “we were driving and I didn’t even realize the GPS wasn’t working and Aiden told me I’d made my fourth right and I just knew I had to pull over…”

“Banshee right?” Your brother clarifies and when Lydia nods he asks, “Did you hear anything before?”

Lydia quiets as she thinks about it. It takes her a moment but eventually, she shakes her head, “No, there was nothing.’

“I think he’s actually got us in the palm of his hand,” Aaric points out. 

The room falls silent and you all turn to see Mrs. McCall working on cleaning the wound on Void with cotton balls and alcohol. Void offers the group of you a creepy smile you can see in his eyes. 

The room around you begins to blur and you move to sit at the kitchen table. You must be somewhat unsteady because both Aaric and Lydia are at either side of you and you turn to them- there’s a look of confusion on their faces and you shake your head before a shift in the gaze that had been boring into you catches your attention. 

He watches as the Alpha’s mother works on the self-inflicted wound and tries to hold onto his frustration but her scent is strengthening his hosts resolve.

 ** _You don’t even realize what she is, do you, Stiles?_** Void attempted to taunt the male. 

A glare was all he received in response before his host began to fight against the cage again. Trying to suppress him, Void pushes back against him

Growling at the damned thing, Stiles can hear him saying something but does his best to tune out Void. 

There’s something about the smell of frosted cranberries and peaches that somehow smell like heaven on earth. That somehow gives him a strength he had no idea he needed. Breathing deeply, he tries to push against the force that is Void. 

Void pushes him back but Stiles focuses on the smell of the cranberries… the peaches… there are other smells that he can’t put a name on but they make him feel strong, powerful. 

Void fights against him trying to keep him behind the bars but somehow he’s able to breakthrough. He watches as Natasha almost falls and Scott and Lydia catch her. It’s not very long before she turns and he sees glowing purple eyes as their gazes meet.

“Stiles?”

You watch as he nods and tears fill his eyes and make your way over towards him as Melissa reaches over to remove the tape. As she does, you watch as the eyes snap back to the cold, unending depths. 

“Ms. McCall, no!” you call out before Void offers a cold smirk. 

“Really ladies? One little tear? That’s all it takes?” comes the cold, menacing voice.

Growling you move over to him and almost instantaneously, you pulled him up by his shirt, you snarl at him, “Give him back.”

As you hands pull you back from him, Void merely offers a dark laugh and taunts “You’d like that wouldn’t you, Little Wolf?” 

“He’s already beat you,” you remind him, “he was just here.”

“Do you think it matters? Even if he were here- he’d be more worried about the banshee than any of you,” Void snarls.

Dropping his voice, you can barely hear him “Do you really think you matter to him? In any way? After all, he was more interested in claiming the female at Eichen than getting out to see you or anyone else here, well except maybe Lydia… wasn’t he?”

Narrowing an icy glare on him, you can feel your control slip for just a moment. 

“Ylfa!” You’re brother snaps and you, finally, let Void go. Scott gives you a questioning look but you ignore him and go back towards the kitchen and out towards the McCalls yard. Your brother isn’t far behind you and you can hear Void saying something only to be abruptly muffled. 

Pacing back and forth, your hands clench and unclench as you try to focus. Breathing in and out, you can’t seem to get your muscles to untense. 

You hear a spring creaking and then there are arms around you and an Alphas power pushing against you. 

“Ylfa, breathe!”

Growling you struggle against the arms holding you back. 

“Breathe,” your brother’s voice comes again and you can feel the strength of his Alpha push against you. 

“You are the sum of…” he begins 

“ _ **The Heart, the Mind, the Instinct…** ”_ she replies “ ** _The Heart, the Mind, the Instinct…_** _The Heart, the Mind, the Instinct_ … The Heart, the Mind, the Instinct…” 

As you repeat the mantra, you hear your brother send someone inside. Repeating the mantra, eventually, you’re able to calm down enough to feel in control. 

“You need to find your control,” your brother tells you and you shake your head.

“I feel like a newborn pup Aaric. It’s like…. like I can’t get a hold on my feelings,” you tell him with a heavy sigh.

You can feel your brother kiss the top of your head before he stands up. Pulling you up he squeezes your hand and gives you a look, reminding you that he’s here for you and that he believes in you. 

Making your way back into the McCall house, you see Lydia hanging up her phone and Both Scott and Deaton look like they’re not happy with whatever’s just happened. 

“He’ll be here in a few minutes,” Your friend says as she comes into the room and you ask them what’s going on and who was coming over.

“We’re gonna ask Peter if it’s safe for Scott to change Stiles,” Lydia tells you.

You know what she means, it’s the only thing that Scott could chance Stiles into but still, you ask, “Change Stiles?”

“Into a werewolf.”

“Guys there has to be another way,” you plead before asking “Has he ever shown any interest in becoming a werewolf?” Turning to look at your mate’s body, you see that his body looks paler than usual and there are dark circles under his eyes. Void looks somewhat imposing but there’s something that tells you he’s not as strong as he looks. 

Turning to your brother, you see him imperceptibly shake his head. Stiles’ body wouldn’t survive the transformation. Which means neither would Stiles. 

“It won’t work,” Alric tells them.

“How do you know?” Scott asks and Aaric motions his head towards Stiles.

“Taking a bite is dangerous. The weaker you are, the sicker you are, the more likely you are to not survive it. Stiles’ body doesn’t look like it’s very healthy currently,” he informs the group as he walks around Void. He reaches out and lifts his chin so that the two of them are looking directly at each other. You’re not sure what he does but you watch Void flinch before your brother releases him.

“Even if he were healthy. It isn’t likely that he’d survive this. You’d be asking a new wolf to go up against a Nogitsune that’s at least 200 years old. A body can’t hold two shifters and at that point, it would become a battle of the wills. Throwing a newborn against an adult, basically. How do you think that’ll end?”

“Wait, why do you think he’s at least 200?” Deaton questions. 

Turning to him you shake your head, scoffing, “That’s what you got from that?” 

“Ylfa,” your brother warns. Before he turns to Deaton, “Kitsune can’t take on human forms until they’re about 100 years old. And while that’s bound to be difficult Possession is bound to be harder since they have to control the original host and their body not just themselves. If he was able to possess someone in 1943 that means he had already figured out how to do both and seeing how long it’s been since… I’m going with at least 200 if not older.”

The doorbell rings and Lydia goes to answer the door, as soon as she opens the door, you see Peter on the other side. He enters the room and, upon seeing you, crosses over to give you a hug. 

Once he pulls away, he turns to look address the others in the room, “Lydia said you needed my help?”

“Begrudgingly,” Lydia points out and the motions towards Stiles. “We need to know if he’d survive a bite.”

Alaric scoffs and Peter turns to him before he answers, “I already told them I don’t think he would.”

Making a noise of affirmation, Peter moves in front of Void and looks at him, “Alaric’s right. He doesn’t look like he’d survive a slap across the face much less the bite of a werewolf.”

“So, neither of you think it would work?” Scott asks and both Peter and Aaric confirm. 

“Well is there anything else we can do?” Deaton asks and his gaze lands on you as if he’s asking if you specifically can do something. 

“Akima said there are a few ways to separate a Nogitsune from an unwilling host. But you’re not gonna like them,” Aaric says after a moment of silence and you smack his chest.

“You didn’t think to tell us this sooner?!” you practically hissed at him as he let out a soft grunt of pain. 

“Like I said- you’re not gonna like the options,” he reminds you before he lists them off, “Changing the host’s body would work. If Stiles could survive the change to becoming a shifter but it’s not likely to happen in this form, certain kinds of Oni would be able to separate the two but no one’s seen them in thousands of years, foxfire which would, again, likely lead to the death of a non-supernatural host.”

“You’re right… all those end up in death and I don’t like ‘em,” you tell your brother before growling in frustration. 

“Wait,” Peter says after a moment, “What if we could reach Stiles - the real Stiles?”

“How?” Scott asks, “It’s not like Voids going to just let us talk to him.”

“No, but then we don’t necessarily have to go through Void,” Peter says and the confusion fills the room. 

You hear Peter groan before he reaches over to Aaric and grabs his wrist. A dawning realization comes over you and you watch as your brother seems to recognize it as well, his claws snapping out. 

“We need to get inside his head,” Aaric says and Peter nods. 

“We need to go in after him and see if we can pull him out that way,” you whisper. 

Turning to Scott you chuckle, “Ready to learn something new?”

Scott looks surprised that you’re addressing him and turns red,”Wait what? What are we gonna do?”

“Claws,” you ask for as you put your hand out, palm up for him to place his hand in. He hesitates for a second before placing his hand in yours, claws out. 

“Stronger Alpha’s can use your claws to connect with other wolves or, well, people in general, you just need to get these,” you point out to him and move your free hand to the base of Stiles’ neck as close to the brainstem as possible. Without severing it.”

“Severing it?” Scott asks as he pulls his hand away. 

You’re not paying attention to Scott, more focused on trying to picture where his claws will go so you nod and almost absentmindedly point out to him, “Sever it from the spinal cord, which could lead to paralysis, or somehow severing it from the rest of the brain, which would mean death.”

“Breathe Scott,” your brother’s voice cuts in and you look over to see that he seems to be a little green and looks like he could throw up at any moment.

“Scott?” you ask, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

He takes a deep breath and shakes his head, “Can’t Alaric do it? Wouldn’t it be safer for him to do it?”

“Not really,” Aaric says and you watch as Scott opens his mouth to argue with your brother. Aaric puts his hand up, cutting off the other Alpha, “This is something done within packs, with people we know and trust. These things can be tricky because you’re entering their subconscious. Entering the subconscious is like a maze and if it’s someone who doesn’t know the person, they can get lost in the process. You would never return as yourself and Stiles would never return as Stiles. I don’t know Stiles outside of this one,” he motions to you, “if I go in there’s that chance. He needs someone who knows him.”

Scotts worried eyes lock with yours and you can hear his heart rate pick up as he begins to panic, “What if I mess it up? What I somehow …. How can I…” 

His breathing becomes quick shallow breaths and the unpleasant smell of worry and fear begin to fill the room. It, inadvertently, puts everyone on edge. The atmosphere turns darker as the male wolves in the room tense. A quick glance around you tells you that Lydia feels it and so do Scott’s Mom and Deaton.

“Scott,” you call softly as you turn your attention back to the Alpha and put your hands on either side of his face, “Breathe with me, Scotty.”

He seems to try to breathe but there’s something keeping him from it. 

“Scotty,” you try again and when his attention is on you, “push all the air out.”

You slowly exaggerate your breathing, pushing the air out of your lungs with him and then breathing slowly in, to the count of four, holding for a few moments and slowly exhaling through your mouth. Scott follows your lead and he’s able to eventually calm down. You watch as the look in his eyes turn from worried to a steel determination and slowly he nods his head. 

The rest of the room around you calms down as well and you can feel the tension levels drop considerably. 

“Sorry about that,” you murmur, knowing that your carelessness had probably contributed to his anxiety. 

“It’s alright,” he says as he squeezes your hand and offers you a somewhat tense smile before turning towards Aaric and Peter, “So how do I do this?”

Aaric and Peter go about explaining to Scott just how to go about it and you go grab a drink of water from the kitchen. 

Deaton comes in right behind you and clears his throat, grabbing your attention. 

“Doctor,” you acknowledge. 

“Do you think this will really work?” he asks skeptically. 

Drinking the water, you take that moment to think about it. You see Ms. McCall working on Voids body, finishing cleaning the body and you see Lydia staring out the front window. Looking over at your brother, Peter and Scott then at Void you nod your head.

“It has to,” you say after a moment, “Changing his body to that of a shifter of any kind right now is more likely to kill him and there’s no way we’re using foxfire to try and separate them. Finding him in his subconscious and bringing him back that way- it has to work.”

Deaton nods his head and you turn your attention back towards the living room. Scott’s mom is cleaning up her supplies and you can tell that she feels helpless for a moment before you watch her demeanor change, much in the way Scotts had and you realize that he is his mother’s son. 

Putting away the last of the bandages, she turns towards the boys and asks what the plan is. 

“Scott is going to try and dig through pale and sickly Evil Stiles’ mind to unearth pale and sickly Real Stiles,” Peter begins and you growl at him, warning him to be nice. Peter’s gives you a look that screams really? before he sighs and placates you, “Scott will then guide Stiles back from the depths of his subconscious. But he’s not going alone.”

Surprised at the last part of his statement, you ask “who else is going?” 

Peter and Aaric both look like the cat that caught the canary before your brother points out, “It needs to be someone that has a connection with him. Someone he trusts. Someone who would go to the ends of the world for him. Someone he would go to the ends of the world for.”

Swallowing past the lump in your throat, “Alright then, Lydia and Scott.”

You turn towards your red-headed friend. She’s still staring out of the window and at first, you think that she’s processing on her own but when she doesn’t say anything you begin to move towards her when she lets out a high pitched scream, knocking you to your knees.


	50. Chapter 50

Lydia’s high pitched scream seemed to reverberate around your skull and you had to hold your head between your hands for fear it would explode otherwise. 

What felt like hours later but could have only been mere seconds, there was silence and you looked up to find seven pairs of eyes on you, worry and confusion in different levels on most but on two, intrigue. 

“Natasha?” you heard Scott’s mom call out softly at turned to her, “Are you okay?”

Rubbing your ears, you nodded your head, “Yea- i think they’re just gonna be ringing for a while.” Seeing the look of confusion on her face you furrowed your brows, “You didn’t hear that?”

“Hear what sweetheart?” she asks and you realize that she doesn’t look any more frazzled than when she was working on Void. Looking around you, slowly, you notice that the room looks fine. Absolutely fine. 

Your gaze flits over to Aaric and Peter, both of which look worried but there’s no discomfort. Looking over at Lydia you find she’s looking at you with worry etched across her features. 

“You didn’t just scream?” you ask though it’s more of a statement than a question and when she shakes her head no, you could feel a pit form in your stomach. Shaking your head you were grateful when Peter cleared his throat and brought everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand. 

“Little Wolf, Stiles… Dark Kitsune…” he reminds you. 

“Right,” you clear your throat and there’s a muffled chuckling. 

Everyone turns to see that Void’s eyes are lit with mischief and you want to say something but Deaton cuts in, “Alright then Lydia and Scott go in after Stiles.”

“Actually, I think it should be Natasha,” Peter says and you can see Aaric nodding his head along.

“Guys, he’s got a stronger connection to Lydia,” you point out, annoyed that they’re trying to play this game right now. 

“Ylfa,” your brother calls and motions for you to follow him. Groaning, you follow him back outside and Peter steps out just behind you. 

“Guys, this isn’t funny. He’s been into Lydia for years. You should hear the way he talks about her. I guarantee you if he’s going to follow anyone back from the depths of his subconscious it’ll be her,” You practically hiss at them once the doors closed. 

“Maybe he would follow her but his souls connected to yours, you stand the best possible chance,” your brother reminds you and Peter nods his head this time. 

“Stiles may be… well, Stiles but this isn’t just a fight for his mind. It’s a fight for all of him and his soul already recognizes yours,” Peter pointed out. 

“And how do you know that?” you challenge.

“The nogitsune,” Peter points out, “he seems almost calm when you’re in the room.”

“Peter you’ve only seen me in the room with him,” you snap with a roll of your eyes.

“Little Wolf, what part of True Mate are you missing here? A True Mate is connected to you body, mind and soul. How long have you been carrying his pain and his worry?” He sounds annoyed and you don’t blame him. 

“Peter, it doesn’t make sense. Sure there’s a connection but we don’t even know if he feels it!”

“But you’re the best bet to get through to him Ylfa,” your brother says, “Regardless of anything else, you are going to be the best bet at getting Stiles Stilinski back from the depths of his own subconscious. Didn’t you see what he did in there?” When you don’t say anything, your brother shakes his head, “He projected a banshee’s scream at you and knocked you clean off your feet. He knows if you go on, you’ll be able to get Stiles out.” 

“He’s right, actually,” comes a soft voice and you turn around to see Lydia standing outside the front door. How none of you had noticed her is beyond you but she’s there and she looks like she’s got a million questions. Taking a breath that almost sounds shaky, she tells you, almost apologetically, “I didn’t scream but I was hearing things. Just- snippets really. But your name popped into my head when I heard them.”

“Lydia, what did you hear?” Peter asks at the same time you share a worried look with your brother. 

It’s not so much that you don’t want your friend to know it’s that this is a family thing. Your family keeps it to themselves for the most part so that they don’t sway a person one way or the other. Though there’s almost always a pull towards your mate, there’s 

She purses her lips in that telltale sign that she’s thinking about it before she says, “the fluttering of wings and clashing of metal. There was a woman’s voice but it was all muffled, like I was hearing it from underwater- something about fate and protection. Then there was a males voice, it was ancient, older than the females it sounded like, and he was mad but he was also… sad. I don’t know why but it cleared up enough for me to hear him clearly say ‘Should they be denied, you have condemned them to a fate far worse than death’ and that’s when your name popped into my head.”

You cursed under your breath and Lydia doesn’t miss it, she raises a perfectly sculpted brow at you and crosses her arms, “Why would that be?”

“Lyds,” you begin, not even sure where you’re going to start but you have to tell her something. Taking a deep breath, you rub the heels of your hands against your eyes as you try to figure out what you can say. 

“Sweetheart, whatever’s going on between the two of you - it’s okay. You do know that right?” She asks as she crosses over to you and places a hand on each shoulder, “The boy has been into you since you surprised him and Scott in the classroom when Scott was gonna go full Alpha in the middle of the school.”

You can’t help but snort at that, “Pretty sure he thought I was here to cause problems. If he was interested in me, it was in the -” you stop mid sentence as you realize that, that had been the very first time you’d talked to him, “Wait, he told you about that?”

“Yup,” Lydia agreed, emphasizing the end of the word, “and when he found out that Isaac and Ally were friends with you, he kept asking. At first it was just Stiles being cautious but then he started asking about your likes and dislikes… It was pretty obvious to me and Isaac that he was pretty smitten with you.”

“Wait… is that why-?” you started to ask but shake your head, it didn’t actually matter why Isaac had started teasing both of you about the other. The important thing right now, is getting Stiles back. Sighing, you grip the back of your head for a moment as you steel yourself for what this may mean, “Alright I’ll go in.”

Sitting on the couch next to Void, you made sure to sit as close to the arm as possible while still being close enough to Void that Scott would be comfortable if he had to be clawed into the two of you for an extended time. 

Pulling your hair to the side so that Scott has access to your neck you feel as you feel Aaric place his claws against your neck, showing Scott where to puncture. You’re surprisingly not worried about Scott’s first time merging with someone is with you. Though, you suspect that has to do more with Alaric being here and showing him where his claws need to go. 

“So what are we looking for once we get in?” Scott asks.

“You’re gonna be in Stiles’ mind but the Nogitsune is going to try and distract you. You may find yourself in any situation, regardless of what you see, you need to make sure that you don’t get distracted. Find Stiles and get him out,” Aaric says seriously. 

“Okay but how?” Scott begins with. 

“Improvise,” Peter tells him as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Rolling your eyes you turn to look at Scott, “It’ll be fine, we just have to stick together and we’ll be able to get him back.”

“What if this is just another trick?” Scott asks and you can tell that he’s letting the worry get to him again. 

“When are you people going to start trusting me?” Peter groans and you call his name as Scott shakes his head. 

“I meant him,” Scott says as he points to Void. 

“Oh,” Peter corrects as you grab Scotts wrist. 

“We’re running out of time here,” you remind him as you turn back around and place his claws at the base of your skull 

You feel him place his fingers at your neck before you feel them move and figure they’d been somewhat off and Aaric had placed them in the correct spot. 

“Ready?” Scott asks and you give him a thumbs up before the tell-tale pinch of claws breaking through the skin on your neck. 

Taking a few deep breaths, you notice that the area around you has changed, You’re no longer in the McCall living room. In fact, you’re not even at the McCall house. 

Looking around, you realize that you’re staring at the ceiling in a dark room. Trying to move, you discover that you’re arms and legs are bound and there are straps across your chest and torso holding you down. 

Hearing movement to your right, you turn to see Scott’s in much the same position and if you’re in the same, you’re both on twin beds and the walls are bare, almost like an ancient hospital room. While Scott tugs at his bindings you try to focus and, pulling on the bindings, you’re able to break them. 

“How’d you do that?” comes Scotts shocked voice and you turn to him. 

Crossing over to him, you try to undo his binding but they seem to be sewn together and when you go to tug at them, they become slippery. 

Scott begins to tug at the bindings again but you notice that he seems to be holding back. Shaking your head at him, you ask, “Do you actually need me to remind you that you’re a werewolf?”

“But we’re in Stiles’ head,” Scott argues.

“So?” you question him, “I still have my strength.”

“But what if I’m just like I was before in his head?”

“Before?”

“Before I got bit,” Scott elaborates almost sheepishly. 

“I highly doubt that,” you scoff, “Now just pull and focus on your strength. You should be able to break free.”

He looks unsure but nods his head and you watch as he takes a deep breath before tugging at the bindings. He has to put considerably more effort into it but with a groan and snap, the bindings break and he’s able to move.

“So what now?” Scott mutters as he gets up.

“Usually, the person we’re trying to talk to is already here,” you tell him as you look at the bare, empty room, “Since that’s obviously not the case here, I guess now we get to go digging around. See what we can find.” 

Making your way towards the only door in the room, you’re pulled back and turn to see Scott holding your wrist, “I’ll go first.”

“Scott,” you begin but he cuts you off, “I’m pretty sure that both your brother and Peter will maim me if anything happens to you and since we’re in the sort of unknown, I’d rather not risk it.”

“Males,” you mutter but step to the side and motion for him to go before you with an exasperated roll of your hands. 

“Just - stay behind me,” Scott cautions you as he reaches out and opens the door. Seeing an empty hallway, he looks out before stepping out of the small room letting go of the door as he does and as soon as he does the door slams shut. 

“Scott?” You call out, reaching out for the handle. When it doesn’t move you call his name again as you feel the panic rising in your chest. 

Tugging on the handle, it doesn’t seem to budge at all so you take a few steps back, thinking you might be able to knock the door off its hinges. But as you move, a whooshing sound catches your attention and you turn to see that you’re no longer in the room but what looks like corridors. Long empty corridors that you’re sure are more confusing than they look.

Figuring your best bet is to find Scott you turn back towards the door, intent on ignoring the corridors, only to find a white wall in its place. 

“Well, so much for that thought,” you grumble to yourself and turn back to the corridors. You make a couple of turns but can’t backtrack as the walls close once you go down a hall. As you go, the light gets dimmer and dimmer. Eventually, you come to a hallway that will only let you go left and at the end of the hall is a simple door.

Unable to go anywhere else you take a deep breath to calm your rattled nerves before pulling the door open. Squeezing your eyes shut at the sudden onslaught of light, you use your arm to shield yourself from the pain and slowly, the bright light behind your eyelids disappears. 

Cautiously opening your eyes, you find yourself in Stiles’ backyard. Its sunset and the large tree in the corner of the yard is covered in fairy lights and there’s a rug on the floor with a fruit platter and something that looks like champagne, possibly, along with some pillows that you’re sure are for sitting on and there’s music coming from somewhere.

**_Maybe it’s your laughter_ **

**_Maybe it’s the magic of your smile_ **

Looking around, you’re in awe of the beautiful scene in front of you. It looks almost like it’s from a movie and it takes you a moment to realize that in the middle of the rug, there’s something sitting tall against the rug and there’s a picture… a picture of you and Stiles.

**_Maybe you’re an angel_ **

**_‘Cause hope is always dancing in your eyes_ **

Making your way over towards it, a movement catches your eye and you turn to see your reflection in the sliding glass that seems to be more mirror than glass at this point. You’re wearing a blue, floor-length chiffon dress. The top of the dress is a light blue at the straps on your shoulder but becomes a deeper blue as it nears the floor. 

The front has a deep V that stops at the waist where a thick band cinches you. The skirt of the dress is attached at different points along with the band though there are some open spots, like peepholes. Turning around you find the back of the dress to be very much the same. Though the V isn’t as deep as the front. 

**_I can’t imagine a more beautiful girl than you_ **

**_May I have the honor of sharing a melody or two_ **

“Care to dance?” Comes a warm, slightly unsure voice and you spin around quickly, you’re eyes falling on him as a gasp escapes you. 

Stiles is standing right there, hand held out to you and you rush towards him, placing your hand in his he pulls you into strong arms. 

**_May I have this dance_ **

**_May I lead you across the floor_ **

You’re surprised at how easily he leads you across the grass. For someone who’s naturally as clumsy as he is, you’re surprised that when he dances it’s almost fluid. 

**_May I take your hand_ **

**_And spin you around and round once more_ **

**_May I hold you close_ **

He’s pulled you to him again, following the lyrics of the song and you place your head on his shoulder and bury your face into the crook of his neck. 

**_Before this evening is through_ **

**_May I have this dance with you_ **

You have no idea how you’re gonna explain this to him when you get out but you’re also not worried about it. Taking this moment just for you, you breathe him in and allow yourself to be enveloped in the feeling of him as the two of you continue to dance. 

As the music swells, you hear him softly begin to sing along, “ ** _Do you hear the music?_**

**_Do you like the way they play our song?”_ **

He pulls back from you for a moment and cups your head so that you’re looking in each other’s eyes before he continues to sing,

**_“Do you know how much I love you?_ **

**_Baby I could hold you all night long_ **

**_So close to heaven my dreams have already come true_ **

**_Treasure this moment cause I’m making a memory with you…”_ **

As the song ends, he leans in towards you and you, instinctively lean in towards him. Closing your eyes as you get closer, you’re about to kiss when his hand goes to your hair and grips it tightly as he pulls on it and an involuntary whimper escapes you. 

Hearing a cold, chilling laughter you feel frozen as you slowly open your eyes again to find the scene that had just been in front of you is gone and you’re standing in the middle of the school hallway. And in front of you there’s a body limping into the hallway. 

_The Nogitsune._

As soon as the thought crosses your mind, you’re positive about it. Taking a step forward it looks at you and steps into the moonlight in the hall. 

Covered in dirty bandages, the moonlight shines off the silver as the creature slowly stands up straight. He throws his arms out the doors to the lockers around you fly open, the sound echoing and startling you and making you shake. 

It steps forward and with each step the sound of the crashing metal becomes more and more ominous. Try as you might, you’re frozen to the spot, unable to move away. 

The Nogitsune roars at you and at the same time, you can hear Peter, “Little Wolf, can you hear me?”

You’re brothers voice is right there with him, “Ylfa, come on. You’ve done this before- you’re stronger than this!”

“Concentrate Little Wolf!”

Their words seem to revitalize something in you and returning the favor, you roar just as loudly at the Nogitsune before he disappears only to reappear directly in front of you. His hand is around your throat before you’re able to properly react and he lifts you in the air. 

As he squeezes the air from you, you realize that if you die in here - you will die and so you fight against him. Struggling in his hold you thrash around until he finally lets go of you and you run as fast as you possibly can down the hall towards the double doors. 

Pushing through the doors, you find yourself in the middle of a large, white, empty room filled with supportive pillars. Breathing hard, you stop and take in the room around you when your eyes fall onto an eerie sight. 

Footsteps come up beside you and you glance over to see Scott. His gaze on the same thing yours had been on. 

In the middle of the room is the cut down trunk of the Nemeton with Stiles sitting upon it with the Nogitsune on the other side of him. 

“Is that-?”

“Yup…”

With no further words the two of you sprint towards the middle of the room trying to get to Stiles. As you run towards them, bars appear out of seemingly nowhere, keeping you from going any further. You and Scott pound away at them but they don’t give. Trying to pull them apart from each other, they don’t budge. You begin to panic but you can still hear your brothers voice telling you to concentrate. 

So, taking a deep breath, you concentrate and are able to break through the bars. Both you and Scott scream for Stiles. The sounds grabbing Stiles’ attention if his shift in posture is anything to go by but the Nogitsune does something and a moment later, it looks like Stiles is fully immersed in what’s in front of him again. 

Moving the next piece, Stiles hears something clanging and his name being called but when he goes to look he feels like he has to keep his eyes on the board in front of him. The sounds around him disappear into a soft, relaxing hum. 

Continuing to run you and Scott run out of breath only to realize that you’re no closer than when you first began.

“This is ridiculous,” you tell Scott. 

“I’m aware,” he tells you and the two of you stand. 

“God damn it Scott! How are we supposed to get his attention?”

“I was hoping you’d know. Aren’t you the one that’s done this before?”

“But that was with other wolves!” You snap at him. “It was with a-” you cut off as realization dawns on you before you whisper, “with a pack..” 

“What?” Scott asks and you turn to look at him as a smile tugs at the corners of your lips. 

“Stiles is part of your pack. He’s mostly human but he’s still part of your pack, right?”

“Yeah,” Scott says without hesitation, “Of course.”

“So then how do wolves signal our location to the rest of the pack?” you ask Scott. 

You watch as realization dawns on Scott and he transforms to his were, “They howl.”

He lets out a deep howl that travels the expanse of the room and echoes throughout it. It resonates within you and, for some reason, you feel compelled to answer it. Releasing your own howl, you allow it to harmonize with Scotts. 

Waiting for Rhys to make his next move, Stiles hears the sound of music before the pieces on the board begin to shake. Turning, he sees purple eyes almost instantly and realizes that Natasha’s trying to get his attention. Next to her is Scott. 

Turning back to Rhys he realizes that it isn’t Rhy’s he’s been playing against but Void. Pushing away all the pieces and knocking them off the table Stiles watches as Void’s feature contort into rage before he lets out a menacing roar of his own. 

Voids roar was the last thing you heard before your eyes were snapping open and you felt Scotts claws leave your neck as you gasped for air. 

“Did it work?” Scott demanded as he came around the sofa, “Did it work?!”

Turning, you see that Stiles looked like he had passed out somewhere along the process, his head lolling forward with his chin on his chest. 

“What happened?” you ask Aaric and Peter when Stiles doesn’t move. 

“Why didn’t it work?” Lydia demands. 

“Ylfa,” Aaric begins apologetically as Peter shakes his head. 

“It’s not science, Little Wolf.”

Turning back to Stiles, you pull his face into your hands as you hear the others argue. 

“No, you need to make it work!” Lydia demands and you can hear her and Peter arguing but you tune them out as you begin to talk to Stiles. 

“Stiles listen to me, I know you’re there,” you tell him. “I need you to… to listen to me Stiles… follow the sound of my voice. I’m right here. All you have to do is follow it. Follow the sound of my voice Stiles.”

As you’re talking to him he suddenly jerks awake and backwards. His hands move towards the tape on his mouth and you’re able to pull it off. As soon as you do, he’s gagging and starts pulling at something in his mouth. 

Your brother pulls you back and you watch as cloth bandages come out of his mouth before he falls forward to his knees and continues to pull at it before he seems to just throw up a pile of the bandages. It feels like it goes on forever and he’s gasping for air before he finally gets to the last of it and yanks it out of his mouth. 

He’s shaking and gasping as he leans over the bandages that are emitting a black smoke. A bandaged hand comes up from the middle of the pile, causing him to move away on unsteady limbs. 

You’re frozen as you watch the bandaged hand followed by an arm that moves like it’s trying to drag itself out of the pile. A bandaged head emerges as the arm pushes against the floor of the house and very quickly a body is standing in front of you and the others. 

The body jerks it’s head to the side, unsteady before it lunges towards the group of you standing huddled against the wall. As soon as it lunges, Scott and Peter move in on either side and wrap their arms around him. While Alaric steps in front of you, Lydia and Scott’s mom in a protective stance. 

The bandaged body fights against them and you can hear Peter telling Scott to hold him while Scott replies that he’s trying. 

You’re not sure what’s going on but you hear panicked breathing and push past your brother at the same time that Scott calls out “Wait! Wait! Wait!”

Your brothers arrn has caught you around the waist as he holds you back and while you struggle against him, you see Scott move the bandages near the figures mouth to reveal lips. Your brother must see it too because he’s let go of you and, instantly, you’ve made your way between Scott and Peter so that you’re next to Stiles pulling the bandages away. 

His face comes into view and you look into the shocked face of your mate as he takes in those around him. His face betrays his shock as he sits backwards in the set. Placing your hand on his arm, you try to reassure him with the small gesture. 

“Tasha?” he asks like he’s scared it’s just a dream and you nod your head at him. 

“Hi Stiles,” you say softy, moving your hand down to grip his. He returns the grip like his life is dependent on it and you allow yourself to breathe for just a moment when Deatons voice interrupts as he calls Scotts name. 

“Where are they?” comes Scotts frantic voice and you turn around to see that Lydia’s missing and so is Void. 

Deatons shaking his head and Scott asks again before he takes off out the front door calling Lydia’s name frantically. 


	51. Chapter 51

Digging through the boys mouth, this one struggles more than his brother did. 

“Don’t fight it,” he tells the boy who doesn’t seem to listen.

“Don’t fight it,” Alaric tells the boy again and when he doesn’t listen, Alaric growls and puts a bit of Alpha behind the command, “Hold still.” 

Finally, the boy, slowly, stops struggling against him. It takes a bit more digging than he’d like but he’s able to pull out the fly and hands it to the veterinary, Deaton. 

The twin in front of him, Aiden, moves away and Alaric turns to Isaac, “You’re turn Isaac.”

The scared, gold eyes of their newest beta meets his own and he puts his hand out, “I’m aware. Alright?” 

Sighing, Alaric nods his head and tries to soothe the teen as he extends a hand to him, “It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”

He can feel the younger wolf relax, almost instantly and guides him over to stand under the running water. Tilting the boys head up, he tells him, “I need you to open your mouth as wide as you can Isac.”

Isaac follows instructions and, thankfully, Alaric is able to get this fly out without much of a hassle. Letting go of Isaac, he turns to hand the Deaton the last of the flies. 

“Are they okay now?” comes the feminine voice Alaric remembers as belonging to Allison. 

Turning the water off, Alaric answers, “Hopefully but we have no real way of knowing. Not unless Void tries something with them again.”

“The part that’s worrisome, is that this was most likely just a distraction for what was happening to Stiles,” Deaton says and Alaric can’t help but nod his head.

“Unfortunately Dr. Deaton is correct. The Nogitsune wasn’t close enough to be able to feed on this particular strand of chaos he created so it had to be a diversion,” Alaric points out as he towels his hair. 

“There’s really two of them now?” the kitsune asks, her voice filled with unbelief. 

“How’s that even possible?” Allison asks before Alaric has a chance to answer, “More importantly, how did the other one just take Lydia?”

Deaton’s the one to answer, “We turned around and they were gone. So was her car.”

As Deaton’s talking, he can feel the anger rise off one of the twins before he snaps, “So no one notices him just kidnapping her right out of the house? “

The word _notices_ was emphasized as if it was disgusting to him and Alaric growled at him in warning. When the other boy looked down he pointed out, “We screwed up but we were concentrated on the bizarre sight of a creature, materializing from bandages out on the floor.”

Shame flashes over the other wolfs features but before it can be properly addressed, the kitsune is asking, “How are you sure which Stiles is which?”

“They’re trying to figure that out now,” Deaton tells the girl. 

“It’s a pretty good bet that seeing as how the other one disappeared without a trace and took a banshee with him, that he’s the Nogitsune and the bandaged body that we got from the floor is the real Stiles.”

**

“I heard you, you know,” Stiles tells her. 

Since she’d taken his hand she hadn’t let go. Not even when he’d come upstairs to lay down in Scott’s room. There were a couple moments where one of them would loosen their grip, to pull away but the other one would tighten their hold. 

He’s not sure what it is for her but for him, she was his anchor to this world. To this reality. He was worried that if she let go of him he’d find himself playing against Rhys again.

“I heard you telling me to follow the sound of your voice. And I could just barely see you. You were in the distance and I kept going until you were right there but then I had to break through another cage,” he scoffed at the end. There were a lot of things about possession that were shitty but he was sure he was going to hate cages until the day he died. 

She offered him a small smile, “I couldn’t just sit there and not do something… I’m glad you made it back Stiles.”

A knock on the door pulled his attention to see Melissa at Scott’s door, “I need to check him over.”

“Alright,” he said as the girl next to him started to get up. Immediately, he tightened his hold on her hand and pulled her back towards him as he looked up into purple eyes, “Stay.”

It was a command, not a suggestion. Not a request but a command when he asked you to stay. Nodding your head, you looked at him, confused for a moment before you nodded your head and sat down next to him. 

Watching as Scott’s mom makes her way over, she takes Stiles’ temperature and performs a couple different tests. She checks his temperature and then takes a penlight to his eyes. You watch as his eyes automatically dilate and constrict to the changes in light as the light sources passes across them. 

When she goes to take his pulse, you can hear her heart-beat pick-up and watch as she looks at Stiles’ arm, almost as if she’s afraid of it. Trying not to growl at her, you take a deep breath and tighten your grip on Stiles’ hand as he lifts the opposite for her to grip. Slowly, she takes his wrist in her hand and you wait for her to take the pulse. 

“Well, medically you seem okay,” she says after a moment, before letting out an unbelieving chuckle “You’re definitely a real person.”

You watch him nod his head before his eyes flick over to you, “But am I really me?”

“Yes,” you answer without hesitation. 

Both he and Melissa look like they’re not sure about your answer and, thankfully, Scott comes to the door before you have to explain any further. Turning towards the Alpha, you can’t help but feel your heart drop. If he’s here it means that Noshiko’s arrived. 

  
When Scott confirms that she has, in fact arrived, Stiles nods his head, “All right- let’s do this.”

Thankfully, it seems that you’re not the only one uncomfortable with what’s about to happen because Scott looks uncomfortable and doesn’t move from his spot while his mom looks away, almost as if she’d rather be anywhere else. 

“Guys, we have to do this,” Stiles tells the room and you make a noise of disagreement. His gaze lands on you and it’s soft, almost pleading, “We need to know.”

Scott nods his head and you move to let Stiles get up. He’s able to sit up fully but when he stands he’s unsteady on his feet. You watch as he almost falls when he takes a step and both Scott and his mom reach for him but you’re already there so you grab him by the waist and put one of his arms around your shoulders. 

Turning to look at him, you find his gaze on you and you’re not sure if it’s grateful or questioning or some mixture of the two, but you just nod your head, “I’ve got you.”

He returns the nod and, slowly, you get him down the stairs. The more you walk, the more steady he becomes before he’s able to stand on his own in front of Noshiko. 

“Do you recognize me?” she asks him, earning a simple nod from him and a scoff from you. 

Her gaze flicks over to you and she narrows her gaze, “Something to say?”

“Plenty, actually,” you start to say before the door slams open and Kira runs in. 

“Stop.”

“It’s okay,” Stiles says as he makes his way towards the older kitsune, “I’m the one who asked her to come.”

“You’re the one who’s going to get stabbed with swords,” Kira points out to him before pleading, “Mom, don’t do this.”

“It’s already done,” Noshiko tells her daughter, smugly. As Oni appear around the room. The mark on your neck burns and your hand instinctively moves to put pressure on the sensation. 

You watch as the creatures grip Stiles’ neck and you have to fight her not to attack them. They’ll prove to everyone else what you already know, that Stiles is himself. As they hold him you can feel the burning in your veins again. 

Focusing on breathing, you watch as one of them looks up from Stiles to you before it lets go of him. 

Frozen to the spot, you can only watch as Stiles falls to the ground and you wait to see if the creature will move towards you. Thankfully, it only gives a rattling breath before it disappears and you rush towards Stiles. 

“Look behind his ear,” you hear Noshiko say and this time you can’t help yourself. 

“Where else would we look?” you snap at her.

Moving Stiles head, you see the kanji and let out a sigh of relief. Just below it, however, is a second kanji - wolf.

Swallowing, you’re grateful that neither of the twins are here when Kira says, “There’s two. Self and wolf…”

“What does it mean?” Stiles asks as he moves to stand up, “Am I actually me?”

“More you than the Nogitsune,” Noshiko responds. 

“But what does the wolf mean?” Kira asks and you watch as Noshikos gaze meets yours. 

Holding her gaze, you wait to see if she’s going to tell them that you have the same kanji. Scott and Kira had apparently left pretty quickly, helping Melissa take Rafael to the emergency room. However, Stiles asks if the Oni can find Void, pulling her attention to him. For some reason, she doesn’t give away your kanji, “I’m not sure what the wolf means… though I suspect it has something to do with him being a human in a pack. The Oni will find the Nogitsune tomorrow night. It’s too close to dawn now.” 

“Can they kill him?” you ask her, sure that you won’t like her answer. 

“Depends how strong he is,” she says unhelpfully and you groan at the answer. 

“And what about Lydia? Why would he take her?” Scott asks, his eyes flitting between you and Noshiko. 

“He needs an advantage,” Noshiko tells you, almost apologetically. 

“You mean her power?” he clarifies at the same time it occurs to you what Lydia can do.

“The power of a Banshee,” you whisper pulling their eyes to you, “Banshees can sense death.”

Watching the red-head moving about the small hall, Void notices that she looks panicked, tired… She keeps looking around her as if she’s trying to find the source of something so he asks her, “Can you hear them?”

She looks around for a moment before her gaze lands on him and he realizes that she can hear the echoes of the past. 

“It’s louder than usual isn’t it?” he asks her and she gasps. He’s sure that Lydia will assume the echoes of the past are his doing and, for now, he will allow it. He’s weak from the she-wolf managing to separate him from his host and he needs her terror to feed off. 

Smiling at her menacingly, he tells her, “A lot of bad things happened down here. The kind of things that leave an imprint.” 

He watches as she starts to stumble in the other direction, trying to put as much distance between them as she can and he follows after her at a leisurely pace. Over the years he’s learned that humans are unpredictable when you charge at them - but when you go after them slowly- then they truly begin to fear. 

As her fear spikes he takes a deep breath of it, before taunting, “What are the voices telling you, Lydia?Are they saying that Stiles is dying?”

She doesn’t say anything but continues to try to rush away from him and he can taste the despair. Even if she doesn’t believe it, emotions are so easy to manipulate. 

“He is, you know. He’s dying,” Void tells her in a sing song voice, almost giddy at the way her fear and despair mix together. 

He can hear her whimper echo through the hallway but when she turns the corner, out of his immediate sight, there must be something that occurs to her or something that she sees because he can taste her anger a moment before she starts shouting, “Then what do you need me for? You think I can tell you something?”

She’s walked to the gate and he can’t help but laugh, there is no escape for her, “Oh I know you can.”

“I’m not telling you anything!” she screams and he leans in to whisper in her ear, “You won’t have to.”

The banshee turns around almost instantly but he’s already moved back enough to see the terror in her eyes, “You’ll be screaming.” 

Unsurprisingly, she opens her mouth to scream but he reaches out and covers it, “Oh not yet sweetheart. RIght now, you just need to listen to the voices.”

Unsurprisingly, when Kira’s mom left, the young kitsune had stayed behind. The group left behind with her were Scott, Stiles, Ylfa and himself. 

The Alphas mother having gone to work.

“Stiles, I need you to tell me everything you saw. Everything you remember,” Alaric tells his sisters mate. 

“Aaric,” his sister warns, “can’t he at least get a moment’s rest?” 

“Ylfa- this is important and you know it,” he growls at her.

“But-“ she begins at the same time Stiles says, “He’s right. We need to go through it.”

He can tell his sisters annoyed but if they have any chance of getting the Nogitsune, they need to know as much as they can. 

“Let’s start with the last thing you remember, from when you last had any control. Ylfa said you’d been in control for a moment when Void was here,” Alaric tells him.

The boy nods his head before taking a deep breath, he looks at Ylfa and says, “Did you know your eyes occasionally flash purple. Not like the purple they are now- I mean a bright, royal purple.”

Alaric watches as his sisters hand comes up to her eyes and she looks around, presumably for a mirror, when her eyes meet his he nods his head, “They’re purple now.” 

“I mean… I knew they flashed purple occasionally but… I didn’t know they were purple,” she answers with a shaky voice. 

There’s questions there and while Alaric has a suspicion, he’s grateful that there’s more pressing matters at the moment. 

Stiles, thankfully, seems to understand this because he doesn’t dwell on it but continues, “I remember seeing you eyes and I knew I was out but then - he just pulled me back in. I didn’t even realize he had. 

“I remember sitting there and staring at this guy who’d been there from the beginning, he had said his name was Rhys and we were just playing this game. But then there the board started to shake and I heard this sound. I turned to see Natasha and Scott and when I looked back, it was Void. I knocked over the game and he screamed at me, i don’t know why but I’m pretty sure he was more mad about the game than me being distracted in any way.”

“Why do you say that?”

Watching Stiles shake his head, it was like he was trying to get his thoughts together before he said, “I’d been able to get out before but he always just pulled me back in. Each time i ended up back at that game.”

Noticing something, Alaric asked Stiles, “What was the game Stiles?”

The boy looked like he was trying to remember but eventually shook his head, “i don’t actually know.”

“Well what did the game look like?” he tried pushing the boy. 

“Uh- there were black and white circular pieces but they were black on one side and white on the other and we were moving them on a board with a bunch of boxes.”

“Like chess or checkers?”

“No, they were all the same color and same size all across the board,” Stiles falls silent and the room follows suit. After a moment, Stiles clears his throat, “Guys… I don’t mean to be rude but- do you think I could go check in with my dad?”

Nodding his head, Alaric motions for Stiles to go. Unsurprisingly, his sister decides she wants to go with as does the Alpha. Kira wants to go but Alaric tells her he wants to go over some things with her and she nods her head.

He wants to tell his sister to stay but he already knows that she won’t be letting her mate out of her sight until this is through. 

“Watch your backs,” he tells them as they walk out and turns to his sister, “And Ylfa, if anything happens you call for me.” His little sister nods her head before giving him a hug. He hugs her tightly for a moment before kissing her forehead and motioning for them to be on their way. 

Once they’re out of the house, he turns to the young Kitsune, “Did you recognize the game Stiles described?”

“The game of GO,” Kira said and Alaric nodded his head, “It sounds like it.”

“What does that mean?” she asks and Alaric shakes his head, “I’m not really sure.”

“It’s bound to be important though. Especially if the Nogitsune wasn’t upset until Stiles tore apart the game,” he shares his thoughts with her, “Tell me Kira, do you know how to play?”

Kira shakes her head and he tells her, “The game starts with an empty board. Black is always placed first. Then white. You place stones to create territories. And you capture your opponent’s stones by completely surrounding them. As with most games, the goal is to beat your opponent.”

“But this is life and death. It isn’t a game,” Kira points out. 

“Not to us but to him? It is absolutely a game.. And he’s winning. We need to learn what all the moves are. Can you get your mother to help?” 


End file.
